<secondary_headline>
Governor Healey Signs PROTECT Act to Limit ICE Enforcement in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed the PROTECT Act, a sweeping bill that limits local cooperation with federal immigration authorities while giving individuals additional legal protections and remedies if detained, deported, or victimized by ICE agents. The law took immediate effect.
The PROTECT Act prohibits warrantless immigration arrests at sensitive locations, such as courthouses, schools, childcare centers, and healthcare facilities, including hospitals. It also prohibits law enforcement agencies from entering formal partnerships with ICE and prohibits state and municipal participation in federal immigration enforcement, while preserving state and municipal law enforcement agencies’ authority to investigate and prosecute crimes.
The legislation permits people to bring claims against government officials for violating constitutional rights and bolsters protections for those held at state or county correctional facilities. Officials argue that the legislation is necessary to maintain public trust in law enforcement at a time when that trust is being threatened by the aggressive tactics being used by federal immigration enforcement officers.
Public Safety and Security Secretary Gina Kwon stated, “Strong public safety requires strong partnerships with the communities we serve. The Protect Act helps preserve the trust that law enforcement, prosecutors and community organizations rely on to protect victims, investigate crimes and keep neighborhoods safe. When people feel safe, our commonwealth is stronger.”
The PROTECT Act originated as H.5158 and was enacted as H.5620, introduced on January 28, four days after Customs and Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti and 21 days after an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, both in Minneapolis, Minn.
Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano, a Democrat, referenced the killings of Pretti and Good in announcing that the House had passed the legislation in March, saying their deaths, along with the separation of children from their families, were forcing immigrants in Massachusetts to live in fear.