LWVMA Statement: Response to Sanctuary Jurisdictions

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) releases the following statement in response to the public listing of sanctuary jurisdictions.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removals are devastating our communities. “From arresting parents in front of their children to pulling people who present no public safety threat out of their cars in broad daylight, the aggressive ICE tactics we’re seeing across the Commonwealth do not protect the public, and instead spread fear,” according to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. 

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA), representing 44 local Leagues across 155 municipalities from Cape Cod to the Berkshires, stands in solidarity with immigrants and our partners in the immigrants’ rights community. The League supports due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal, and right to humane treatment. All persons should receive fair treatment under the law. 

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the revolution that birthed our nation, we affirm that the Massachusetts Constitution guarantees equal protection of the laws to all people, regardless of nationality, citizenship, or immigration status. When due process is denied to any group, it weakens the rule of law for all of us.

LWVMA is a proud member of the Protecting Our Immigrant Communities Campaign (POIC). Learn more about POIC by watching the LWVMA event recording HERE. Contact your elected officials using our Action Alert HERE. We urge the Massachusetts Legislature to pass these bills swiftly to ensure the safety of all residents of the Commonwealth. 

Read Attorney General Campbell’s KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: ICE Enforcement A Guide for Immigrants, Families, and Communities, issued May 29, and share it with your community and personal network.