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BOSTON — Arrests by the thousands. Videos of federal agents harming immigrants and citizens. Families left without income and scared to leave their homes.
Such scenes, played on repeat in the news and on social media since January 2025, prompted hundreds of immigrants, advocates, and politicians to gather on Beacon Hill Wednesday for the 30th annual Immigrants Day at the Statehouse. The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) organized the event centered around the theme of courage over fear.
“For so many individuals in this room, it took real courage to show up today,” said Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of MIRA. “We came together to show our courage. Now, it’s time for this Statehouse to act courageously and pass a bill to protect immigrants from enforcement.”
Several state leaders were present at the event, most prominent among them Gov. Maura Healey, who elaborated on the idea of courage. Healey pointed to several recent actions by her administration in response to the mass deportation campaign that began shortly after President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. In particular, she highlighted the launch last week of an online portal where residents can report interactions with federal agents carrying out civil immigration law, often from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“In Massachusetts, we’re standing up to an agency that time after time has shown an inability to do its job,” Healey said. “That time after time has done things that are illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, and are just downright cruel and callous.
“No one’s above the law in this country,” she said.
Senate President Karen Spilka has repeatedly drawn parallels between ICE actions and her grandparents’ experience during the Holocaust.
“I have to say, what we have witnessed right here in Massachusetts and across our country in recent months has been deeply disturbing,” Spilka told the gathering. “What ICE is doing is not public safety.”
The only South Coast representative present was Democratic Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral, an immigrant from Portugal, whose district includes New Bedford’s South End.
Bills on the docket
Among the legislation most actively pushed by the activists was the PROTECT Act, a bill aimed at enhancing civil rights and due process protections for immigrants in Massachusetts. The bill went before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security while the Immigrants Day speaking program took place.
Among those who testified was Fran McIntyre, a volunteer with LUCE New Bedford and retired attorney with almost 50 years in practice. She was part of a contingent of about a dozen people from the New Bedford chapter of the statewide immigrant advocacy group that has come to prominence for its ICE watch programs.
“People spoke a lot to the impact of this immigration effort on daily lives and there was a big focus on the degree of fear this brings to people,” McIntyre, who also served as an associate justice at the Superior Court for the Commonwealth from 2009 to 2015, told The Light. “ I said that this was very important because the way they’re doing civil enforcement now heavily impacts communities with migrants. That’s what we see happening in New Bedford.”
Should the legislation become law, it would require the disclosure of prior employment with ICE for any law enforcement job in Massachusetts, prohibit law enforcement or judiciary employees from inquiring about a person’s immigration status, and prevent civil immigration arrests on the way to or from a courthouse or on courthouse grounds. In its current form, the legislation also bans all government entities in the state from entering into 287(g) agreements with the federal government where they receive funding in return for performing some immigration enforcement actions.
The only such agreement currently in effect in Massachusetts is with the Department of Correction, which the bill exempts from the prohibition.
Many advocates pointed to a spate of courthouse arrests, more than 600 statewide last year according to a report by GBH News. Dozens were arrested at New Bedford District Court in 2025 and at least five have been arrested there since Jan. 2. McIntyre said it was important for legislators to keep that in mind when considering the bill.
“I asked them to, as a matter of policy in the commonwealth, prioritize access to justice over civil immigration enforcement,” she said.
Activists also brought attention to S.2665. The bill would require employers to notify their employees within three days of the notice of a federal I-9 audit. Last summer, Market Basket in New Bedford suspended 47 of its immigrant workers with no prior notice after an audit by ICE.
A third bill, S.1957, would extend eligibility for state Earned Income Tax Credits to those filing taxes using Individual Taxpayer Identification numbers. They also called for the inclusion of a $15 million line item in the fiscal 2027 budget for the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative, a program with 20 lawyers statewide that ensures representation in immigration court for those who qualify. Sweet said the program had “accepted” 461 cases since its launch in November.
“When that legislation reaches the Senate, we will continue to engage with thoughtful details and consider additional protections,” Spilka said of the bill and others. “The Senate will do everything in its power to return those proposals to the governor’s desk and make it into law.”
Cautious optimism from NB advocates
State Rep. Christopher Hendricks, a Democrat whose district includes the North End of New Bedford, said he did not attend the event but his staff met with advocates afterward. He said he supports the package, the PROTECT Act in particular.
“I support all those measures, especially if ICE comes back full throttle like they did in Minnesota,” Hendricks told The Light in a phone interview. “I’m hoping that we have a little stronger stance in the final version of the bill that gives law enforcement proper guidance on how to best witness or intervene when they see ICE doing something illegal.”
Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center, said she thinks the legislation being pushed Wednesday would pass, but she questioned what impacts it may have.
“My honest opinion is that I just don’t think this is going to help much,” she said. “But it’s good to have something out there saying we are here with the immigrant communities.”
For Isabel Berny, a LUCE volunteer from New Bedford, the day’s events merely represented talk. She said she still wanted to see action.
“I fear they may be saying these things just to win the election,” Berny, an immigrant from Mexico, said in Spanish. “Today’s events gave me some hope but we have to see some movement to see real change for the better. We need real justice.”
Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org. Contact Maria José Membreño at mmembreno@newbedfordlight.org.
It’s interesting to see so many people come together for a cause like this. Did they share any specific stories from the event?
Stop the Madness, Enough is Enough, in 2025 alone close to a Billion Dollars of State Taxpayers Dollars was spent on illegals. There is something terribly wrong when our Governor and State Politicians are putting illegals before our veterans, seniors, families, and hard working state residents. 100% it’s time to vote Maura Healey and these door mat far left liberal politicians out of office.
You seem to offer a lot of information regarding your distaste for immigrants. Where are the facts to support what you are saying. Or, is what you are saying motivated by politics. See, I don’t care about dems, republicans, lefties, righties, MAGA, I care for what is right. One thing we agree on is Veterans must be taken care of, period. By the way, isn’t the federal government suppose to fund the programs for our veterans which includes medical care and support services. Enough here, please state the facts to support the billion dollars spent by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on ILLEGAL immigrants.
Come on, you not don’t read, what you don’t want to read. Like I tell everyone you’re welcome to your opinion, but all this information is easy to find, it’s all on the web, and it’s all public information.
By June of 2025 Maura Healey’s administration was on-track to spend more than $1 billion and that was just on the emergency shelter program for illegals. This didn’t include the cost for providing illegals with Free Cash / Monthly Stipends, Free Health Care, Free Education, Free Day Care, Free Food, Free Clothing, Free Transportation, and Free Cell Phones. To not know this information is totally insane.
Don’t you think our Veterans, Seniors, Families and Hard Working Residents of Massachusetts deserve to be treated just as well or better than the illegals? It’s time to vote Maura Healey and the rest of the far left liberal lunatics out of office.
I tried to look for some reporting on this and couldn’t find anything. Do you have a link? I’m interested in digging into this since you seem pretty reasonable, I assume it’s not just reposts on Facebook or something suspect like that?
Hank you can do better than this, if you read what I wrote, being reasonable is one thing, but if it’s that important to you, and you’re so interested in learning what this bat crap crazy governor is doing with our tax dollars, you’ll take time to go find it yourself.
I’ll be more specific, you have an opinion, I only deal with facts and truth. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts spends up to a billion dollars to house not just immigrants but citizens, homeless people, and families with children who are economically in despair. The state does not spend a billion dollars for specifically for “IMMIGRANTS” only. Having said this, there are illegal immigrants and legal immigrants. While some entered without authorization, many migrants in the state system are legal asylum seekers, refugees, or individuals under federal humanitarian parole programs (such as those for Ukrainians or Afghans). Another known fact but never discussed. Of these who enter the country illegally by overstaying their visa or crossing the border illegally have turned themselves in apply for asylum, as stated above, and once granted they have LEGAL status. This is fact. Last, Massachusetts has a budget surplus, is ranked #1 in education, ranked in the top 3 in health care, many who complain think the grass is greener on the other side but when they get there they find out the grass is never cut and there are no services. As for our veterans it is critical that we take care of them and the Federal government has to contribute and help, but the moron in the White House does not care and has no respect for veterans. This is a FACT, look at how he treated John McCain, a war veteran, great leader, and hero. I don’t have an opinion, I only look at facts and truth.
Your in the right spot (the Far Left Liberal New Bedford Light) and you made some good points, but you lost me because no one has treated our veterans, seniors, families, and hard working Americans worse than the far left lunatic liberals. Ther is no moment in history that is more disguating than Joe Biden In 2021 caught on camera checking his watch at a dignified transfer ceremony for troops killed in Afghanistan, JUST STOP THE NONSENSE.
So if these people are safe to have here then why did I see pictures of biden open border with military aged men coming into the US with guns?sorry but when illegals are being put up in 5 star hotels and given cars phones and plastics im pretty sure that money that should be spent of Americans and people who come to the country LEGALY. You all forget that 1 word and act like everyone’s here cause there homes hell. You cant claim asylum qhen you’ve gone through 3 other country’s to get to us
Jeff your talking to people who are cool with terrorist screaming death to America on a loud speaker while being in America. Im seriously on board with the mental wards coming back. My only concern is they’ll pack out by day 0 with people like these
So if the funds arnt being used for illegals then why wont Hayley turn over all state benefit data? I just find it funny how the only states refusing to give the data are all blue sanctuary states.
I support this proposed law and we demand that I.C.E. be abolished, since it will NOT be reformed by the fascist crooks that work in the Trump administration. In the meantime, the Republicans should adhere to the request of the Democrat Party to separate the the airport employees from the rest of the agency so that they can get paid for the valuable work that they do!
Can I ask why you find ice to be an issue now when under Obama they kicked out way more illegals? You people make no sense and you only fight against everything o ly cause trumps behind it. You people are sick and need to seriously be removed with the illegals you guys love so damn much.
If you are not legal, you are out. What is the problem with that? I have seen in black and white as a Naval Intelligence Officer what Muslims and other races do to their women and children. To have permitted this unfettered invasion by aliens into the United States, violating the country’s sovereignty, is treachery of the highest order and those who did this should be imprisoned. Unless a person is willing and able to assimilate, and attest to the Constitution, as my forebears did, then they do not belong in the United States.
Mr. Giroux’s distaste for “Muslims and other races” is nothing but unvarnished white supremacy. And after bombing three continents alone this week, murdering and kidnapping heads of state from two, and turning the streets into a police state, people like Mr. Giroux can hardly claim to respect the sovereignty of any nation. Frankly, I’d rather have many more of our newer citizens (papers be damned) than the toxic racists among us.
Your welcome to your opinion, but not everyone agrees with your far left liberal rant. Mr Giroux served our country, just say thank you for his service, and for damn sure that doesn’t make him a white supremacist. 100% always supporting all our Veterans past and present and all our active Military Members around the world.
Does this mean John Kerry has your support if he runs in 2028?
Met John Kerry several times, thanked him for his ervice to our country, but I would never vote for a far left liberal lunatic.
The only toxic person here is you. Your defending people who caused 9/11 and scream death to America and jews.like at what point are you people going to say enough enough and actaully put the Crack pipe down and open your eyes. No ones falling g for your fun words you have over used time and time again . God bless America and God bless Trump
Have you seen what White Christians do to theirt women children?
Priests due to little boys?
Should a Native North American be forced to assimilate?
If not, should they be deported?
And in all those cases justice is served in the end. What justice is there for people screaming death to America and news? That to.me sound like people who just want to kill. What do Christians do to out women and kids? We dont rape our sons and beat out women to death. Hey last I checked Christians dont kill the gays for being gay but Muslims do. Hey guess who biden let walk in iver the border illegally with no way to track them? Muslims . Dont give me you idiotic reason to allow people who want us dead here.
Due process? How about being legal and doing what you are supposed to do to gain entry in the US? Can’t believe everyone is Miss this point you aren’t supposed to be here yet when you do come here illegally and get arrested you want due process. Wow. What a country we live in
Ice would not be needed if those here without legal status would simply leave.
When David Ehrens can say he caught a Russian ballistic missile submarine lurking only 436 miles east of one of the Unites States’ largest submarine bases in the south, then he may have a right to criticize me. But labelling me as a “white supremacist”. Try and say that to my face. I am sure the veterans reading these posts are on my side.