Legislative Efforts on ICE-Related Actions

Thank you for reaching out to my office regarding your concerns related to immigration and actions by our federal government. Many have reached out to us to learn what we in the Legislature are doing to address immigration and ICE. I have co-sponsored and am committed to supporting the following bills that 1) provide access to legal services, 2) prohibit law enforcement from executing immigration officer functions, 3) end and prohibit participation in federal civil immigration enforcement agreements, and 4) address masking and identification.

H1954 - An Act ensuring access to equitable representation in immigration proceedings - “Immigrant Legal Defense Fund Bill”

Currently, the bill has 51 co-sponsors and was heard by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on November 25, 2025. Its purpose is to provide immigration legal services to eligible immigrants and refugees who lack access to legal representation while facing removal proceedings from the U.S. The fund would be administered by the Office for Refugees and Immigrants. A designated nonprofit coordinator would manage the statewide legal-representation system and the administrator would solicit proposals and award grants to nonprofits, law firms, and qualified attorneys. In addition, an advisory committee would be created and include representatives from legal, advocacy, academic, and community organizations across Massachusetts to provide guidance on service coordination, policies, training, and procedures. The legislature would include a dedicated line-item in the state budget that would enable the administrator to distribute grants to eligible organizations.

Already this past year, the Legislature committed $5 million in the FY 2026 budget for the legal defense fund and the program is reportedly up and running.

H2580 - An Act to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents - “Safe Communities Act”

Currently, the bill has 67 co-sponsors and was heard by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on November 25, 2025. The bill prohibits law enforcement from executing the functions of immigration officers. It restricts law enforcement officers from inquiring about an individual's immigration status unless mandated by state or federal law. It prohibits law enforcement from contacting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the release of individuals in custody, except when they are completing a sentence for a criminal conviction. The bill also requires law enforcement to inform individuals of any DHS requests regarding their custodial status and supply the relevant documentation.

H1588 - An Act relative to immigration detention and collaboration agreements - “Dignity Not Deportations”

Currently, the bill has 74 co-sponsors and was heard by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on November 25, 2025. The bill bars state and local governments and any of their agencies, employees, or law-enforcement bodies, from participating in federal civil immigration enforcement agreements. Covered entities are prohibited from entering, renewing, or extending any immigration collaboration or detention agreements with federal immigration authorities. It calls for the ending of existing agreements: collaboration agreements (formal or informal that give federal immigration enforcement authority or assistance, including 287(g) agreements) must end within 30 days and determination agreements (those that involve arresting, detaining, or housing people for civil immigration purposes) must end within 90 days. The bill applies to all law-enforcement agencies, and every county, city, town, district, authority, and their personnel. In addition, the attorney general will be empowered to seek injunctions against any person or entity believed to be violating these rules.

S2665 - An Act to notify employees of an I-9 Audit

Currently, the bill has 19 co-sponsors and was heard by the Joint Committee on Labor and Employment on November 20, 2025 and referred to the Senate Ways and Means and voted favorably on December 11, 2025. This bill updates MGL 149:19C to require employers to notify current employees of an I-9 employment eligibility verification form, or other employment records, within 72 hours of receiving the notice from a government agency.

H4684 - An Act ensuring law enforcement identification and public trust

This bill has 45 co-sponsors and was heard by the Joint Committee on Judiciary on November 25, 2025. The bill makes it a misdemeanor crime for all law enforcement officers who wear a mask or disguise while interacting with the public. It excludes medical grade masks and preserves Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team’s ability to utilize gear necessary to protect their faces from physical harm. The bill also requires law enforcement officers to include their name or badge number on their uniform.

SD3574 - An Act ensuring law enforcement identification for public safety

This bill requires law enforcement officers in Massachusetts to remain identifiable while performing their duties. It adds a new category of misconduct to the state’s police oversight law for officers who use masks or disguises in violation of the rules and defines which agencies and officers are covered, using a broad definition that includes state, local, campus, hospital, transit, and humane society police, as well as sheriffs, deputies, constables, and special or reserve officers. A “mask” or “personal disguise” is defined as

any covering or clothing that hides an officer’s identity or conceals that they are an officer, except for face shields that do not obscure the face. Officers who violate the prohibition may be fined up to $1,000. The bill exempts undercover operations authorized by a court, tactical operations or governor-declared emergencies requiring protective gear, accommodations for disabilities or workplace safety, and situations where an officer’s identity must be protected during an active prosecution but requires that these instances must be necessary and documented.

SD3607 - An Act protecting access to justice - New Bill

This bill establishes clear limitations on arrests, detention, or custody actions within Massachusetts courthouses.

HD5608 - An Act promoting rule of law, oversight, trust, and equal constitutional treatment (“The Protect Act”).

This bill, introduced and led by the Black and Latino Caucus, seeks to establish clear standards to limit state and local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement while protecting public safety, access to justice, and the rights of victims. It strengthens transparency and training oversight in law enforcement certification, sets minimum due-process and legal-access requirements for individuals held under federal civil immigration authority in Massachusetts facilities, and restricts civil immigration arrests in courthouses absent a judicial warrant. The bill standardizes the process for certifying victims of crime and human trafficking for immigration relief by setting uniform timelines, prohibiting retaliation, and providing enforceable oversight to ensure victims can safely report crimes and cooperate with authorities.

Executive Order No. 650: Protecting Access to Essential Services and Keeping Massachusetts Communities Safe

This Executive Order affirms the Commonwealth’s commitment to protect immigrants’ access to public services, public safety, and equal treatment under the law. It emphasizes that civil immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that state resources should not be used to facilitate it.

The Order limits federal immigration enforcement activities in state-controlled spaces, providing that Federal immigration officers may not conduct civil arrests in nonpublic areas of state facilities without a judicial warrant or court order and that state property, including buildings, parking lots, and garages, may not be used as staging areas, processing sites, or operational bases for civil immigration enforcement.

It directs the Executive Office of Education and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to work with schools, childcare providers, colleges, and health care institutions to develop guidance and policies for interacting with federal immigration officers, require judicial warrants for entry into nonpublic areas, and promote staff training to support community safety.

In addition, the Executive Order restricts new 287(g) agreements which deputize local or state personnel to perform federal immigration enforcement functions allowing them only if there is a documented public safety need and the agreement expires within 12 months.

The Order clarifies that it does not interfere with criminal law enforcement, judicial warrants, existing legal obligations or Department of Correction operations and takes effect immediately.

H5050 - An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2026 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for responding to recent federal actions

In addition to supplementing certain appropriations, the bill is designed to protect Massachusetts residents from abusive ICE practices by barring civil immigration enforcement from sensitive locations that include courthouses, schools, health care facilities, childcare centers, and houses of worship. It would also prevent another state’s governor from deploying their National Guard in Massachusetts without consent and allow parents to pre-arrange guardianship for their children if detained or deported. The legislation is intended to preserve state and local law-enforcement resources, support public safety, and ensure cooperation with ICE is limited to individuals convicted of serious crimes—while ending the targeting of community members with no criminal background who live, work, and raise families in the Commonwealth.

Please continue to reach our office for updates.