Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, today released the following statement in response to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling in Commonwealth v. Lunn, a lawsuit challenging the legality of state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration “ICE detainers:”
"This court decision sets an important precedent that we are a country that upholds the constitution and the rule of law. This victory is the first of its kind in the nation. At a time when the Trump administration is pushing aggressive and discriminatory immigration enforcement policies, Massachusetts is leading nationwide efforts by limiting how state and local law enforcement assist with federal immigration enforcement. Now more than ever, we need to send a clear message that Massachusetts stands with our immigrant neighbors, and we call on the Massachusetts Legislature to protect all of Massachusetts’ communities by passing the Safe Communities Act."
Background: ICE detainers are requests by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for local officials to detain noncitizens after they would otherwise be released from state or local custody. In Commonwealth v. Lunn, the SJC decided that holding people in response to federal ICE requests is illegal. The Safe Communities Act is a bill that would limit voluntary collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration law enforcement personnel.
To learn more about the case, click here.
To read the court decision, click here.
