A Massachusetts House-passed bill that would place new restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement aligns with Worcester’s recent efforts to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, city officials say.
The Massachusetts PROTECT Act would place several restrictions on ICE, including limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, as well as requiring judicial warrants for civil arrests in courthouses. The bill would also prohibit law enforcement from asking about immigration status unless it directly impacts a specific offense.
It also prohibits the execution, renewal, or expansion of 287(g) agreements — partnerships that, the ICE website explains, allow “local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight.”
The legislation comes from a desire to “address growing immigration concerns in Massachusetts,” House leaders said in a press release.
Worcester, which in 2024 was about 25% Hispanic according to Data USA, has recently moved to restrict local cooperation with immigration enforcement.
In February, the city released an executive order amending its policies on ICE’s use of municipal property for staging operations, according to the city’s website. The order banned ICE from using public spaces “for staging or prepping federal immigration enforcement actions.”
City officials say Worcester plans to continue supporting immigrant communities.
“Worcester is stronger when we are united together,” Mayor Joseph M. Petty said. “Our municipal government and the Worcester Police Department work together to protect and preserve peace.”
Police Chief Paul B. Saucier said the department “is focused on building credibility and trust within our community.”
As of April 27, the Deportation Data Project reported that ICE arrested at least 1,115 people in Massachusetts since Jan. 1. About 15% of those arrested had prior criminal convictions, the data showed.
Texas recorded about 18,600 arrests during the same period, according to the project’s data. In Massachusetts, the recent total exceeds the 1,470 arrests recorded during the final 415 days of the previous administration, when 36% of those arrested had prior convictions.
As statewide legislation, the PROTECT Act would further strengthen protections for immigrants by “creating a statewide standard for governing interactions between state and local systems and federal immigration enforcement,” the House press release says.
“This is a solemn time in our country, but it is a joyous moment,” Rep. Andres Vargas, D-Haverhill — chair of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, which initially proposed the measure — said in the release.
“Laws that protect people must be built to withstand the people who would tear them down,” he said.
