Council committee hears that Boston Trust Act is working — but fear of enforcement is keeping people from school, work and care

The Boston City Council Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice on March 10, 2025 opened an audit of the 2014 Boston Trust Act and related dockets (0128 and 0414) to examine how the city’s policy limiting cooperation with civil immigration enforcement is being implemented.

“For the record, my name is Henry Santana, at large city councilor, and I am the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice,” Chair Henry Santana said at the start of the hearing, which was livestreamed and included both in‑person and virtual testimony.

The hearing focused on the real‑world consequences panelists and public commenters said they see: immigrant families avoiding schools and health care, workers skipping shifts, small businesses losing customers, and persistent concerns about detention conditions in nearby facilities.

Why it matters: Councilors and community leaders said the Trust Act’s rules for Boston Police Department cooperation with federal authorities matter to public safety because fear of immigration enforcement discourages victims and witnesses from calling police, keeps children home from school, and drives people away from preventive health care. The city council’s stated goal for the audit is to identify places where the…