I urge Sen. Stanley Rosenberg and other lawmakers to oppose the governor’s proposal on immigration and to support the much-better-thought-out Safe Communities Act.
Governor Baker seeks to compel state law enforcement officials to assist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to detain immigrants without legal basis. Law enforcement has always had the right to detain anyone convicted or charged with a serious crime. However, our nation has always held that no one should be detained without due process.
Additionally, the Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled that no Massachusetts law allows officers to detain an individual solely because ICE has issued a “detainer.” Massachusetts officers who comply with ICE detainers are violating state law. It would be a terrible mistake for our state to make an exception where immigrants do not enjoy the same rights to be free from unlawful seizure. This has been a right since the inception of our nation, enshrined in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
I urge the senator to support the Safe Communities Act, which ensures that state law enforcement follows the American tradition of releasing everyone where there is no clear legal basis to detain them. No exceptions. It would be destructive to require state law enforcement to detain anyone without due process, based solely on a letter from an ICE agent. Yet that is the Governor’s proposal.
Such a policy would destroy the crucial trust that must exist between law enforcement and immigrant communities. It would result in immigrants hesitating to contact the police, even when they are victims of crimes themselves. Do we really want victims of robbery, assault or rape to be afraid to call the police, for fear that ICE will detain or deport them or their family member?
Far from protecting our committees, as the governor intends, his proposal would discourage people from reporting crimes. That is why I urge lawmakers to oppose his bill and to support the Safe Communities Act.
Brooks Ballenger
Amherst