By Bob Katzen
Reps. Michael Soter (R-Bellingham) and Kenneth Sweezey (R-Pembroke) have filed legislation they say will restore power to local and state law enforcement agencies by closing a loophole that prevents court officers and law enforcement officials from holding dangerous illegal non-citizens with ICE detainers beyond the time that the individual would otherwise be entitled to be released from state custody, allowing these individuals to walk free after committing significant crimes in certain situations.
“It’s essential that we equip our law enforcement with the resources, tools and support they need to keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Soter. “Both sides of the aisle are united in the belief that undocumented immigrants who come here to commit crimes should be returned to their home countries. The state and local authorities must be able to detain these criminals and give ICE the opportunity to take action.”
“The immigration issue in Massachusetts has gotten completely out of control,” said Rep. Sweezey. “This piece of legislation is a very simple, common-sense first step in rectifying part of the issue. I am always proud to assist our law enforcement partners and am pleased to present this legislation with support from Sheriff Evangelidis and Sheriff McDonald. I look forward to working on gaining additional support and pushing this bill across the finish line into law making our communities safer in the process.”
“[We are] monitoring reports of activities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Greater Boston area,” said Kevin Brown, Executive Vice-President of 32BJ SEIU, the largest property service workers union in the country, with 185,000 members across the East Coast, including 20,000 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “We reaffirm our readiness to support our members’ rights and the rights of immigrants–our neighbors, friends, family members and co-workers, whose presence and work enrich our communities and our economies.”
Meanwhile, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined ten other state attorneys general in issuing a joint statement commenting on a memorandum from a President Trump appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice addressing state and local involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
“It is well-established—through longstanding Supreme Court precedent—that the U.S. Constitution prevents the federal government from commandeering states to enforce federal law,” read the statement. “While the federal government may use its own resources for federal immigration enforcement, the court ruled in Printz vs. United States that the federal government cannot ‘impress into its service—and at no cost to itself—the police officers of the 50 states.’ This balance of power between the federal government and state governments is a touchstone of our American system of federalism.”