At Lynn forum, Dan Coe urges local protections for immigrants and says he would 'stand in front of ICE'

At a public forum in Lynn, Democratic primary candidate Dan Coe framed immigration enforcement as an immediate local and federal priority, telling organizers he would support municipal measures to limit ICE activity and press for changes at the federal level.

When asked how he would respond to increased ICE presence and detentions, Coe said local governments should use every available power ‘‘to keep ICE out’’ and that federal resources enabling more enforcement must be challenged. He said, "If you want someone to stand in front of ICE and they're gonna have to arrest me and throw me in jail, I will be that guy." The remark was offered as a personal pledge of direct constituency advocacy.

Coe also said he supports broader federal restructuring of immigration enforcement, including seeking to remove immigration enforcement from the Department of Homeland Security and to defund the current ICE structure. He criticized cuts to nonprofit programs and other federal moves he said have weakened services for immigrant communities and urged threatened funding be pressured back into community programs.

Organizers and multiple audience members framed these positions as central to the forum’s purpose: the event was hosted by Neighbor to Neighbor, a grassroots group representing working‑class immigrants in the 6th District. Coe tied his proposals to concrete local access points—district offices, multilingual constituent services and rapid response support for people facing immigration enforcement.