THIS LEGISLATION DID NOT MAKE THROUGH COMMITTEE. MORE TO COME. MEANTIME WE HAVE TO KEEP LEGISLATION LIKE THIS IN MIND AS WE APPROACH OUR ELECTIONS THIS NOVEMBER. WE NEED TO GET OUT AND ASK CANDIDATES IF THEY PLAN TO SUPPORT SAFE COMMUNITIES IN THE FUTURE.

 

 

 

We are running out of time!

 

 

To receive updates directly from Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, text SAFEMA to 52886

Contact the chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security,  the bill is sitting in this committee and will get nowhere if they don’t vote it out of committee and move it to the floor for a vote- DEADLINE Feb 7. Senate Contact address: 24 Beacon St. Room 109B, Boston, MA 02133, Phone: 617-722-1485, Fax: 617-722-1066, Senate Chair Michael Moore email: (tell him you want the full committee to see your message): Michael.Moore@masenate.gov .  House contact address: 24 Beacon St. Room 167, Boston, MA 02133, Phone: (617) 722-2230. House Chair Harold Naughton Jr. email: (tell him you want the full committee to see your message) Harold.Naughton@mahouse.gov

Contact your own legislators and the governor – info below

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

The need for this act is becoming even more intense, not just because of Trump’s plans to remove refugees and the tenuous situation DACA kids are in now, but even closer to home, our own Sheriff has accepted funding to make his own deputies an arm of ICE.

We need to ask who we are as a Commonwealth.

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.

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.

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?

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)

Also see an earlier post about this issue.

A little more background:

• ACLU Safe Communities Act fact sheet
• 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
• MIRA Coalition info on the Safe Communities Act

---

If you see any errors in this post, please send an email to CapeCodWomenforChange@gmail.com

To receive an email when a new post is added to this website, use the “follow this website” link on the right.

To sign up for our newsletter – fill out this form.