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Human Rights Commission to follow up on immigrant rights presentations; faith leaders seek practical safety steps
Summary
After a “Know Your Rights” presentation on immigration enforcement, the commission scheduled a more detailed session on Oct. 27 with immigration attorneys. Clergy described creating congregation-specific safety measures and outreach materials to support immigrant parishioners.
Members of the Worcester Human Rights Commission said a recent "Know Your Rights" presentation left many with concerns and a desire for deeper, practical guidance for immigrant residents.
Commission Chair Guillermo Creamer Jr. said the commission will continue focusing on immigrant rights and scheduled a detailed immigration presentation for Monday, Oct. 27, featuring two immigration lawyers and Spanish-language elements where possible. "Next month, we are going to have myself and another immigration lawyer make a presentation on that," Creamer said.
Faith leaders in attendance described concrete steps congregations are taking after a briefing by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and other presenters. Father Jonathan Slivinskas, speaking after attending a community forum, summarized actions some churches have planned: keeping certain doors locked during religious education, stationing volunteers at entries, and designating private rooms with signage for safety and rapid legal contact if enforcement activity were to occur.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the legal presentation clarified what immigration and local authorities can and cannot do, and they emphasized the need to translate that information into accessible materials and training for residents, including Spanish-language sessions.
What the commission will do
- The commission said it will host a more in-depth session on Oct. 27 with two immigration lawyers (one named: Susan Church) and additional presenters to provide legal information and resources in English and parts in Spanish.
- Commissioners discussed creating an information packet or playbook for faith-based organizations to help congregations identify safe internal practices during religious education and to provide contact steps for legal assistance.
Speakers and context
- Chair Guillermo Creamer Jr. opened the exchange and described the commission’s continued focus on immigrant rights.
- Father Jonathan Slivinskas described the faith-community forum with Rep. McGovern and the resulting recommendations for congregational preparedness.
- Several commissioners, including Randy Feldman and Anahit Merudian, praised the accessibility of the "Know Your Rights" presentation and supported follow-up programming.
Authorities and legal references
The meeting discussion referenced federal immigration enforcement (ICE) and local limits on municipal authority, and participants repeatedly described information presented as clarifying what “ICE has and does not have” in enforcement authority. The transcript also noted the meeting itself was conducted under state open-meeting rules (Open Meeting Law) and recorded at the start of the session.
Provenance
Topic text appears starting at the commission’s discussion of the prior presentation and planning for Oct. 27. Sample transcript excerpts: "We're gonna move on. Commission business continued. I wanted to quickly open up for discussion with the know your rights presentation that occurred last month" (transcript block starting 920.12006) and later comments from Father Jonathan describing congregation steps (transcript block starting 1115.005).
No formal votes were taken specific to immigration policy during the meeting; the commission set the Oct. 27 presentation as the next step.
