In a press conference in Boston on February 5, Mayor Marc Laredo joined the chief executives of Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Lynn, and Somerville in announcing Executive Orders defining their cities’ policies and actions regarding federal immigration operations. This coordinated response from Greater Boston cities follows fatal shootings of two protesters by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across Massachusetts.
Mayor Laredo’s Executive Order is relatively concise and based on existing City policies and the Newton Police Department’s existing protocols. It takes effect immediately and states that:
- Public Safety and Keeping the Peace: The “Police Department shall follow established protocols and longstanding practices to protect peaceful protests and protestors and ensure public safety.” In the event of injury during “immigration enforcement actions or related protests,” City officials present “shall immediately summon emergency medical services and shall make all reasonable efforts to render aid according to City department protocols, directives and training.”
- Restriction on the Use of City Property: “City-owned or City-controlled property – including …buildings, parks, parking lots …[cannot] be used as a staging area, processing location, operations base, or any similar purpose in furtherance of civil immigration enforcement operations …[including] assembling, mobilizing, or deploying personnel, vehicles, equipment, or materials for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement.”
- Prohibited Access to City Property: “Civil immigration enforcement officials are not allowed into non-public spaces without a valid judicial warrant or court order. … Municipal buildings, including schools, libraries, and community centers are available to provide specific services to members of the public, and are to be accessed for those purposes only.”
- Scope: The Executive Order is not to “be construed as restricting or interfering with the execution of court orders or lawful judicial warrants, or the enforcement of criminal law.”
The Executive Order issued by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu covers similar points and goes further by stating that “the Boston Police Department shall investigate all violence, property damage, and allegations of criminal conduct, including by federal officials.” It also notes explicitly that “calling 9-1-1 is an appropriate response to warrantless entry of private homes and businesses.”
In his Executive Order and in speaking at the press conference, Mayor Laredo cited Newton’s 2017 Welcoming City Ordinance (Ch. 2, Article VII, see page 31). In his speech he said, “This is a time of crisis. This is a time our democracy is under threat. …This is a time to state clearly and affirmatively that we do not believe in fascism. …In Newton, we will continue to stand up for democracy.”
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan also spoke at the press conference, saying, “We know who we are. …What is happening in our cities is not representative of us.” She noted how Massachusetts has invested in training police departments to de-escalate, to build community trust, and to serve a community – and she contrasted that with current federal immigration operations. She also praised the media for reporting “what is truly happening on our streets” and the First Amendment that makes that possible. She closed by saying, “We draw strength from the 250 years of who we are, we stand strong together, and we know where we are going. I am incredibly grateful to the people who have joined in this fight, who have persevered in this fight, and who have not let us forget: This is the United States of America. We the people decide how this country will be run.”
