Two PM board members recently had letters to the editor published in the Boston Globe.

Jonathan Cohn, "Mass. should move on Safe Communities Act before session ends," 12/28/20:

The Globe editorial board is spot-on with its call for ending Bristol County’s 287(g) contract with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in light of Sheriff Thomas Hodgson’s latest abuses of power (“Time’s up, Sheriff Hodgson,” Dec. 21). Massachusetts is the only state in New England where such contracts exist. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait until the new presidential administration to end them.

A bill called the Safe Communities Act, filed in the Legislature by Representatives Ruth Balser and Liz Miranda and Senator Jamie Eldridge, would end such contracts with ICE and take additional steps to make sure that the rights of our immigrant communities are respected. It was reported out of committee in July, and it deserves a vote before the session runs out.

If we don’t take action soon, Massachusetts will have gone the four years of the Trump administration without passing any new legislation to strengthen the rights of immigrants in our Commonwealth, a sorry reflection of the politics in our so-called deep blue state.

The current legislative session in Massachusetts ends in just three short weeks, with a few holidays in between.

And there's a lot left to do.

It's been quite the 24 hours. And if you're like us, you're thinking, "How can I take action, including right here in Massachusetts?"

Here are some ways.

In a mere eleven days -- on Friday, July 31st, at 11:59 pm -- the legislative session in the Massachusetts State House comes to an end.

The bills that didn't make it past the finish line this year will disappear into the ether or return like a phoenix from the ashes in January next year, only to face the same grueling process.

But there are many policies that can't wait until January. Indeed, passing them now is already far later than should have been done. And, frankly, the Legislature shouldn't get to leave session until they finish.

Every day, we hear new horror stories about families being ripped apart at the border and the terrible conditions that children seeking asylum are held in. 

We can -- and must -- continue to lobby our elected officials in Washington to do all they can to close the dystopian detention camps and craft a humane immigration system. 

But there’s work to be done in Massachusetts, too. Police officers in Massachusetts are being deputized by ICE to act as immigration officials, ripping families apart and forcing our immigrant friends and neighbors to live in fear. 

Massachusetts, we can do better. 

The Safe Communities Act (SCA) will enable us to do so. 

Massachusetts House votes on its budget, the House will have an opportunity to decide what type of state Massachusetts is.

Are we a state that invests in our future and stands up to the bigotry of the Trump administration, or are we fine with crumbling infrastructure, underfunded schools, and complicity in a racist mass deportation agenda?

Summer is a season of action and a season of joy. So as the summer approaches, we need to double down on the work of passing our bold policy agenda, as well as celebrate the successes we’ve had.