Massachusetts rarity: Greater Boston town rejects immigrant protection petition

Massachusetts towns and cities are proceeding with caution as the Trump administration steams ahead in its crackdown on illegal immigration with residents in one suburb rejecting a safe communities petition As several municipalities rushed to reaffirm their commitment to protecting all immigrants after Donald Trump won re-election last November Mansfield is taking a different approach The suburb of roughly people about miles southwest of Boston has turned down a citizen s petition to block town funds and information from being used to enforce federal immigration law Resident Marcia Szymanski sponsored the petition that residents overwhelmingly rejected at a town meeting that drew a turnout of just over locals She argued that the measure would not have created a sanctuary town nor exposed Mansfield to federal funding retaliation This article solely codifies what the town and the police force are already doing Szymanski mentioned at the meeting on Wednesday The intent is to affirm the town s commitment to the values of freedom justice and equality for all Mansfield residents and visitors To take this action at this time is a vital contribution to populace safety and a sense of population she added Police Chief Ron Sellon clarified that local guidance are not being directed to enforcing federal laws as is connecting Mansfield s status to a state Supreme Judicial Court ruling Under the so-called Lunn decision local law enforcement cannot hold aliens based solely on a civil immigration detainer issued by federal functionaries beyond the time they would otherwise be published from custody That means aliens must be issued even if federal immigration agents issue a civil immigration detainer Sellon called the petition moot while raising concerns about how aid of the resolution could have prompted federal funding uncertainty as Mansfield faces financial struggles The police department is relying on roughly in federal grants to offset cuts he announced Mansfield residents also voted against a million tax increase for the upcoming fiscal year Last August Mansfield Police arrested Akim Marc Desire a Haitian national living in Massachusetts unlawfully on a charge of indecent assault and battery on a child under I will just be straight up and honest about it I don t know what the end is going to be Sellon noted Donald Trump can t find Mansfield on a map but we don t know if this is going to be the trigger that draws it for him Mansfield s rejection of the petition came two days after Trump signed an executive order directing his attorney general to work up a list of the country s sanctuary cities and warn them that they could lose funding or face other consequences Sanctuary policies are a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Federal Administration s obligation to defend the territorial sovereignty of the United States according to the president s order Trump s previous attempts to withhold funding to sanctuary cities and towns have been blocked in the courts While there is no strict sanctuary jurisdiction definition the term is often used to describe those with policies that prevent local law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal laws or holding detainees longer than they normally would based on a civil detainer The exact number of sanctuary towns and cities in Massachusetts is unclear Boston Somerville Northampton Amherst Cambridge Concord Lawrence and Newton had been grouped into that category for years but certain now say they have never been defined as a sanctuary Concord Town Manager Kerry Lafleur reported the Select Board just a week after Trump retook office that the town is not a sanctuary city the hyperlocal Concord Bridge has published Police Capt Brian Goldman recounted the outlet that listing the town as a sanctuary city is misstated What was put forward in was a Welcoming Population ' Goldman informed the Bridge in January So it s a little different mix of words Other municipalities in the wake of Trump s re-election adopted sanctuary-like policies barring employees from inquiring about or collecting information regarding citizenship or immigration status unless required by federal or state law The Natick Select Board in December declared its program as not a true sanctuary city directive like Somerville and Cambridge while the Medford City Council also approved a similar ordinance in January making it a so-called Welcoming City Medford has purchased know your rights cards slated to be distributed to immigrants alerting them of their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights of not allowing agents to enter their homes without a signed warrant and not speaking to or answering questions from them according to Boston On Beacon Hill House Democrats rejected a Republican-led effort to improvement the SJC s Lunn decision that would have allowed local law enforcement to detain someone sought by federal immigration officers for up to hours after their court proceedings end The rejection during a debate on the House s billion fiscal year budget last week triggered Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy to sound off against the Democratic supermajority Unlike Maura Healey I will never allow politics to dictate decisions that put the safety of Massachusetts residents at menace Kennealy stated in a message Let s be clear if your laws protect illegal immigrants from federal enforcement you are by definition a sanctuary state That must end Gov Healey has repeatedly declared that Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state even after federal bureaucrats reportedly arrested illegal aliens during an enhanced operation which largely focused on transnational organized crime and gangs including the notorious MS- Tren de Aragua Trinitarios and th Street Of the people arrested in the March effort had vital criminal convictions or charges ICE Boston broadcasted Margin czar Tom Homan fast vowed to return to the Bay State as he disclosed there is more work to do Healey has questioned Homan s fixation on Massachusetts To be quite honest we re a very safe state the governor reported reporters after Homan s initial visit We re not a sanctuary state Local state and federal law enforcement continue to work with and partner with one another Before a Congressional committee probing sanctuary cities in early March Mayor Michelle Wu touted Boston as the safest major city in the country taking a swipe at the federal administration for spreading fear and undermining police work