For 20 years, every federal administration - Democrat or Republican alike - has relied on state and local law enforcement to help identify and deport immigrants, disproportionately impacting communities of color in the Commonwealth.

The misuse of state resources continues to separate families and undermine community trust in our public institutions. That’s why California, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington State have all passed similar legislation.

The campaign for passage of the Massachusetts Safe Communities Act ( SD.1937 and HD.2459 ) achieved remarkable progress in previous years, advancing the bill out of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security with a recommendation for passage, only to be left on the table as the clock ran out last legislative session.

As a new session for this bill begins, passage remains an urgent public health and public safety priority. Our state’s involvement in deportations preceded the Trump administration and is likely to continue without state action. With a new Governor, state action no longer requires a supermajority of support in both the House and the Senate. Here’s how you can help:

Urge your legislator to cosponsor the Safe Communities Act today. Use our form to email your own state legislators in just a few minutes.

Passing the Safe Communities Act will communicate loud and clear that in Massachusetts, everyone can seek help, protections and treatment without fear of deportation. This is a message that immigrant communities desperately need to hear.