Call to Action: Immigration in MA, tell your legislator and the governor to support ‘The Safe Communities Act’
Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to several bills that impact women and families in MA. We encourage you to contact your state senator and state rep. For those of you on Cape Cod, sponsorship (those who have signed on to commit to support these bills) is pretty much along party lines. We have work to do. Please get comfortable contacting your state legislators to let them know you want them to support a bill or to thank them for supporting a bill. We would appreciate your feedback, we want to know how legislators who have not yet supported these bills react to you – as a constituent – telling them that you want their support. Email us or post in comments, comments are moderated so they won’t show up right away. Please share these posts with friends!
A representative from the ACLU spoke Friday evening in Barnstable Village, it was clear the energy to resist remains strong – despite a heavy and cold spring rain, the place was packed.
The ACLU of Massachusetts is supporting the “Safe Communities Act” (SCA for this post) Among other things this bill, filed in both the MA house and the senate, operates within federal laws, despite what critics and opponents will say. Let’s be clear, this would not defy federal laws and subject us to the loss of federal funds. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
The details of the bill are here on this fact sheet from the ACLU Safe Communities Act Fact Sheet. The senate bill is: S.1305 and the house bill is H.3269
An Act to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents
The SCA would not allow authorities in this state to register people based on religion or country of origin. In the case of mixed families, it will not permit authorities to separate children from parents. The SCA also declares that our state, local, and campus police will not take part in federal immigration enforcement actions against residents based “solely on immigration status.” It would also stop DHS from deputizing state or local police as ICE officers. All of these activities create fear and prevent local immigrants from reporting crimes to the police, making us all less safe. ACLU’s fact sheet on the SCA including.
Apparently, Governor Baker has taken a rare position on this bill, declaring before it has even started the legislative process that he will VETO it. We must contact the governor and our own legislators and tell them we want them to support this bill – ask each if they will. Get an answer. Don’t forget, the governor and all of these legislators are up for re-election in 2018.
Contact Governor Baker: Boston Office, phone: 617.725.4005, 888.870.7770 (in state), Fax: 617.727.9725, TTY: 617.727.3666 Massachusetts State House, Office of the Governor, Room 280 Boston, MA 02133
Springfield Office, Western Massachusetts Office of the Governor, State Office Building, 436 Dwight Street, Suite 300, Springfield, MA 01103, Phone: 413.784.1200
Email him (scroll down for form)
State Senators: The senators who are supporting this bill are listed here. For Cape residents, Senator Cyr is supporting the bill, but Senator deMacedo is not on the list – this is his contact information. Please report back to us, will he support the bill? How did he respond? For residents elsewhere, if your senator is not on that list, please contact him/her, you can find that information here.
State Representatives: The state reps who are supporting this bill are listed here (this list also includes state senators) For Cape and Islands residents this support falls right down party lines. Regardless of where you live in this state, if your state rep is not supporting this bill, find contact information here. Again, report back to us, you told him/her you want him to support this bill, what did he/she say?
Also see an earlier post about this issue.
A little more background:
Related bill fact sheet: Fundamental Freedoms Act
Mass Deportation Would Cost U.S. Economy Billions, Experts Say
Dems to DHS head: Splitting up families is ‘cruel’
Homeland Security’s plan to break up families would have terrible consequences for kids
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(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
We have the power. Let’s use it. SPEAK UP. SPEAK OUT.
Cape Cod Women for Change 
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