Congressman Jake Auchincloss, drawing a direct line to the American Revolution, said Friday he supports using the Massachusetts National Guard to counter federal immigration enforcement operations if they escalate in the state.
“250 years ago, we refused to quarter the King’s troops,” Auchincloss said in a Fig City News Podcast interview at his Newton district office. “We’d refuse to quarter the President’s troops now.”
The 2006 Newton North HS graduate, now in his third term representing Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District, pointed to Minnesota as a model. Governor Tim Walz activated approximately 1,500 National Guard members in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations there, which Auchincloss characterized as ICE acting “as a paramilitary in that state, sowing fear in communities, [referring to the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti] murdering U.S. citizens, and launching dragnet operations against immigrants.”
Auchincloss called Minnesota’s response “an example of successful opposition to the President’s agenda,” noting that the administration appears to be pulling back ICE operations in that state due to political blowback.
“Should things go the other way, Governor Walz is well within his rights to use the National Guard to protect public health, protect public safety, and uphold civil rights,” Auchincloss said. “That is true regardless of the vectors that are degrading those civil rights. If that happens to be a federal agent, the state National Guard still is within its rights to do that.”
The Congressman framed ICE enforcement as part of a broader challenge facing the country. “We are facing an administration that lies, that uses violence against its own people, and that fundamentally doesn’t respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the land,” he said.
Regarding the 2026 midterms, Auchincloss said approximately 20 to 25 House seats are genuinely competitive, but noted that the President’s political standing is deteriorating. “His strongest issue previously was immigration. He’s broken that mandate with the American public with his heinous actions in Minnesota,” he said.
The interview also covered Auchincloss’s current legislative priorities on the Energy and Commerce Committee, including drug pricing reform and reining in social media platforms. “These social media platforms have been attention fracking our children,” he noted as one reason for his efforts on youth mental health.
Reflecting on January 6, 2021 — his first week in office — Auchincloss recalled watching the perimeter set up by Capitol Police break and later his having to step over broken glass to certify the election. The lasting lesson, he said, was seeing fear drive inaction among his Republican colleagues.
“I promised myself then,” he said. “I’m never taking a vote out of fear.”
The full interview is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Amazon Music, and the podcast player of your choice.
Ed Note: Jack Prior endorsed Congressman Auchincloss in his first run for Congress.
