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Gov. Maura Healey signs Protect Act in Chelsea, calling it a public-safety measure
Summary
Governor Maura Healey signed the Protect Act in Chelsea, saying the law will ban civil immigration arrests from schools, hospitals and courthouses in Massachusetts and allow civil claims against federal agents who violate residents' rights.
Governor Maura Healey signed the Protect Act in Chelsea, telling a packed room of legislators, advocates and residents that the law is "a public safety law" and "the strongest law in the country to protect people from ICE and to protect public safety." The governor said the law responds to a yearlong pattern of fear in immigrant communities and will restore safe access to schools, health care and courts.
Healy outlined specific protections in the law at the event, saying it will bar civil immigration arrests and federal enforcement presence in sensitive places and will let residents bring civil-rights claims if federal agents violate their rights. She thanked local organizers and legislative leaders for building the coalition that produced the bill and then moved to the podium to sign the legislation into law.
