MA. Immigrants rally against deportation laws, support TRUST act

Immigrants rally against deportation laws, support TRUST act

Written by Brian Latimer
Published Mar 25, 2013

Elected officials, community leaders and families faced with deportation rallied for legislation to demand immigration reform for bills such as the TRUST Act on the steps of the Massachusetts State House Wednesday.

The TRUST Act and protest are responses to the federal Secure Communities program that requires police departments to send the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security the fingerprints of arrestees, a report stated. The program has been responsible for the deportations of numerous undocumented immigrants with no previous criminal records.

“This bill seeks to improve relations between Massachusetts law enforcement and the communities they serve by limiting state efforts to enforce controversial federal immigration law,” the report stated. “… Statistics show that this program has devastating effects on our communities as it tears families apart and pits law enforcement against the individuals they serve.”

Despite objections from Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, immigration groups, local law enforcement officers and lawmakers, the federal government implemented the Secure Communities program.

Mass. Sen. Jamie Eldridge is backing the bill, according to the report. Proponents of the bill back it because it would prevent the damaging effects of the program, including broken families and communities, damaged public safety, misuse of local resources and unequal access to justice.

“We are supportive of the TRUST Act because it [Secure Communities] threatens relations between immigrants and local law enforcement,” said Frank Soults, communications director for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “The program keeps local immigrants from helping their local police with crime because they fear for the stability of their friends, neighbors and families.”

The TRUST Act aims to clarify that Massachusetts law enforcement agencies are not responsible for enforcing federal immigration laws and leave the work for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill would also direct law enforcement not to arrest, detain or transport individuals for federal immigration purposes.

“Sen. Eldridge spoke about the bill because of the launching of [his] campaign,” Soults said. “Legislators hear they don’t want this extension of local authorities to do the jobs of the federal government, and they responded.”

The bill will provide individuals ordered released by Massachusetts judges and magistrates not to be detained for ICE in spite of the court’s release order, according to the report.

As of December, 45.6 percent of the 768 immigrants were deported in Massachusetts through the Secure Communities program since 2008 because they had criminal records, the report stated.

“What has been happening is local Boston police have been honoring ICE detainment regulations and are spending a lot of time helping deport people,” Soults said. “Over 50 percent didn’t have criminal records.”

The national average for deporting undocumented immigrants for committing a crime is 76 percent, which means Massachusetts deports more people without criminal records more often than states such as Texas, Arizona and New York, according to the report.

“[Secure Communities] makes BPD the de facto arm of immigration enforcement,” Soults said. “The police should not act as an arm of federal immigration authorities and hold people in prisons, spending locals’ money on federal actions for people with no previous criminal records.”

Immigrants rally against deportation laws, support TRUST act | The Daily Free Press

For the ten-thousandth and one time: they are not "undocumented immigrants" they are foreigner squaters who have broken into our home, evade arest and refuse to leave. Do not let the enemy control the language.

Try going to Mexico and protest in the street against their very severe laws regarding foreigners living there and hope you will get out of prison before you die of old age.

"Statistics show that this program has devastating effects on our communities as it tears families apart and pits law enforcement against the individuals they serve.”

This is getting so old! It does NOT have devestating affects on our communities, only the illegals who don't belong here! It does NOt tear families apart, the illegals put themselves in that position by breaking the damned laws! Do we cry about the bank robber in prison who is torn away from his family? Do we or do we not have immigration laws??? Do we get to pick and choose other laws we wish to follow or ignore???

this program has devastating effects on our communities as it tears families apart and pits law enforcement against the individuals they serve.”

It does what???? Pits law enforcement against the individuals they serve? So now hey serve illegals? I think they are a little confused here. They are supposed to protect and serve citizens, not law breakers!!! Do your damned job right or find a different proffesion.

"Over 50 percent didn’t have criminal records.”
I like how they word this ..so half of the illegals had criminal records? This is suppose to create trust with the taxpayers? This is how they take care of their communities. For the life of me I am still baffled by how laws pertain to legal citizens but not illegals. They appear to be above the law.
In a a Statement by BJ Barnes on the local news when 2 illegal prisoner breakout in Highpoint NC. Stated that two prisoners who broke out of jail were not a danger to the public with over 50 child abuse charges on them. So who is the public? So we shouldn't worry for our children?