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CHELSEA — A much anticipated bill that aims to protect immigrants across the commonwealth from civil immigration arrests at courthouses, schools, clinics, and other venues became law Wednesday.
Mariachi music and applause broke out as Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act in a ceremony attended by hundreds of advocates, immigrants, and legislators at La Colaborativa, a social service organization based in Chelsea. Operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began to hit the North Shore city hard when President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. More than 41% of Chelsea’s population is foreign-born.
“The law I’m signing today is a public safety law,” Healey said in comments before signing the bill. “I don’t know how anyone can look at what we see on TV … and not say that [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is making us less safe.
“We can agree we need immigration reform in this country,” she continued. “We can also agree that ICE is so wrong, and ICE needs to be stopped.”
The law takes effect immediately. Provisions present in previous versions of the law protecting religious institutions were not in the final version.
“Here it comes full circle,” said State Rep. Judith Garcia, a Chelsea Democrat and member of the State House Black and Latino Caucus that spearheaded the initiative. “Today is more than just a day of hope. Today is a day of action.”
Members of the caucus who spoke at the event said they began the process of designing the law about a year ago, in the aftermath of two immigration enforcement blitzes that targeted Massachusetts and detained almost 3,000 people. Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, more than 600,000 people have passed through ICE processing centers and 23 have died in the agency’s custody.
The Light has confirmed the detention of 91 New Bedford area residents in the president’s mass deportation campaign.
Legislators also pointed to the desultory impact on community trust in institutions as another motivator behind the law.
“For over a year, our communities have lived in fear,” said Sen. Pavel Payano, a Lawrence Democrat. “And we in the city have seen the cost of that fear. Empty classroom seats. Neighbors that have left the state. And trust that has been broken.”
“What we’re doing today is standing up to a president, to an administration that’s out of control,” Healey said. “We’re standing up for our immigrant communities.”
No one from the New Bedford delegation was present. However, all five members of the city’s House delegation approved the law in a roll call vote, and the Senate approved it on a voice vote.
The origins of the PROTECT Act
The prospect of the PROTECT Act first appeared publicly in January 2026, when Healey announced her support for greater protections during a news conference and issued an executive order prohibiting the use of state property by federal agencies in immigration enforcement.
Shortly after, advocacy organizations mobilized in support, flooding the State House for committee hearings, floor debates, and votes as the law made its way through the legislative process. Its champions included the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Service Employees International Union chapters 32BJ and 1199, and the Brazilian Worker Center, among others.
“As more families are pushed into crisis, detention, or deportation by the Trump administration, 1199ers applaud the passage of the PROTECT Act that will help keep our communities safer,” said Cari Medina, the executive vice president of 1199SEIU, in an emailed statement. “The PROTECT Act will also help protect our healthcare system, ensuring immigrant caregivers remain in the jobs they love, and patients can access care without fear.”
The bills then advanced to a conference committee that reconciled the two versions and reported the final version out on July 29. Both chambers swiftly approved the legislation on July 30, one day before the formal session ended.
The most widely touted provisions are those that codify the 2017 Lunn decision by the Supreme Judicial Court that prohibits state and local law enforcement from holding prisoners simply on an administrative ICE detainer.
The law also prohibits civil immigration enforcement without a signed judicial warrant from taking place in courthouses, schools, childcare facilities, and clinics.
Other provisions include:
- A prohibition on new partnerships between law enforcement and ICE known as 287(g) agreements without gubernatorial approval. The only active agreement in the state between the agency and the Department of Correction is exempt.
- Codifies the prohibition of the use of state or local resources to participate in or conduct federal immigration enforcement.
- Directs the Attorney General’s Office, the Governor’s Office, and facilities affected by the law to establish guidelines in multiple languages for interactions with ICE.
- State facilities holding immigrant detainees, such as Plymouth County Correctional Facility, must track and log detainees’ movements in and out of the facility and ensure access to attorneys.
- Permit the civil litigation in state courts of federal officers who violate civil rights in the course of immigration enforcement.
- All law enforcement is prohibited in most circumstances from asking someone about their immigration or citizenship status.
- Employers are now required to notify employees within 48 hours of receiving notice of an I-9 audit.
- The establishment of a commission of up to six years in duration including political leaders, immigrant advocates, police, and others to investigate the needs of immigrant communities.
- Allowing the pre-arrangement of guardianship in the case of the detention of an immigrant parent.
That final measure is of particular import as many people losing the aegis of Temporary Protected Status prepare for the worst, said Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center in New Bedford.
DaSilva Hughes added that the IAC had been encouraging parents fearful of immigration enforcement to sign temporary caregiver affidavits that allow a person of their choosing to effectively become their child’s guardian for up to 90 days.
Guardianship, she added, makes it permanent and gives an entrusted designee greater rights, such as the ability to obtain a passport on the minor’s behalf. Now, they can offer both.
“We noticed that people are being detained longer than previously,” she told The Light in a phone interview. “It makes more sense than the caregiver affidavit.”
What does this mean for New Bedford?
Advocates based in New Bedford told The Light that the law is a leap in the right direction.
“I think it is important that the state government take a stand in support of immigrant communities,” said Lisa Maya Knauer, an anthropologist at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth who works with local immigrant communities.
Knauer, who also volunteers at the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, said that without a doubt the courthouse protections were the most important portions of the bill.
“That’s where people have the most anxiety right now,” Knauer said, adding that a spate of ICE detentions at courthouses, including New Bedford District Court, has led to a drop in people willing to report crimes.
The law also imposes limits on information sharing with civil immigration enforcement authorities. Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux already announced in February that he would stop sharing non-public information with ICE due to their aggressive tactics.
Nonetheless, Knauer said she still has reservations about the law’s enforcement and whether individuals within the institutions would follow its provisions.
“Massachusetts is technically a blue state but different municipalities are checkered,” she said. “Whether it’s schools, hospitals, or the court system, one has to ask: Who are the people on the front lines?”
DaSilva Hughes said she also has concerns about the enforceability of the law.
“I applaud Governor Healey for signing the PROTECT Act,” she said. “At the same time, I am also aware that this is about federal law and, unfortunately, what we’re seeing is that ICE is not following any protocol.
“It gives a real positive message but at the same time I’m not sure that it is going to ease the anxieties of our immigrant families,” she added.
Back in Chelsea, the governor and advocates celebrated the move even as they acknowledged the challenges that may lie ahead.
“Before, [ICE agents] were coming and we didn’t have anything to hit them with,” said Gladys Vega, president and CEO of La Colaborativa. “Now, we have the law.”
Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org.
MORE GARBAGE and that is why residents and businesses are continuing to leave the state. For four years it has been all about illegals and putting them before (Veterans, Seniors, Families, and Hard Working Residents). It’s time for new leadership in Massachusetts
We should be thankful to Governor Healey, our state legislators, and the many organizations who worked to pass this law which protects the Constitutional Rights of ALL Massachusetts residents.
All residents have constitutional due process rights before they can be detained and transported to remote detention sites far from their family or legal aid.
All residents have the right to a warrant signed by a judge before entry can be gained to their residence or their phones and other property can be taken.
All should feel secure from armed, masked agents when they enter a church, hospital, school, court, or other government building.
I believe community safety is strengthened when residents feel they can cooperate with police to solve crimes. If our immigrant community fears that our officers are working with ICE, they will be afraid to report crimes and testify in court.
Well, lets hope that the self deportations ramp up so that this “law” doesn’t create additional hardships for I.C.E in removing violent, illegal, non-citizens.
The new flock cameras will make picking these people up a lot more simpler
Despite the outcry from the “usual suspects,” Governor Healy has done the right thing. One of the most needed protections afforded to undocumented persons, is the prohibition of ICE detentions at courts.
It is hypocritical for people who say, “They need to obey our laws,” and then applaud ICE showing up at courthouses and essentially preventing the undocumented from complying with the rules and procedures for asylum or status hearings.
You can’t have it both ways. These folks are damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
I am relieved that our state legislators and the governor saw this situation as another attempt by the Trump Administration to create an America in the image they would like, rather than one that reflects our values and strengths.