By Bob Katzen
House 135-18, approved an amendment that would require the governor to publish, prominently on the state’s website, multilingual guidelines for all school districts, on how to handle interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other law enforcement officers regarding civil immigration enforcement.
The guidelines would include designating a contact person to be notified of the presence of, or information requests from, law enforcement agents engaged in enforcement; verifying the identity and authority of any law enforcement officer engaged in enforcement; verifying the validity of any judicial warrant or judicial order provided; documenting and maintaining records of all interactions with law enforcement agents engaged in enforcement; and informing all persons how to respond to requests relating to enforcement.
Amendment supporters said that these guidelines will help protect young students and ensure that ICE is following the rules and not unfairly targeting kids. They noted that attendance at schools is down in many areas because students are afraid and anxious about ICE raids.
Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) opposed the amendment. “If someone at the school commits a crime, they go get the student. If a student’s parent is arrested or worse, authorities go get the student. If parents are being deported, it is only just for the authorities to go get the student to be with their parents.”
Rep. Sean Reid (D-Lynn), the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call explaining why he filed the amendment and how he felt about its passage.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.)
Rep. Christine Barber Yes Rep. Mike Connolly Yes Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven Yes