The Massachusetts Legislature is poised to cast its final vote on the long-awaited PROTECT Act after House-Senate negotiators unveiled a compromise version late Wednesday. The bill, formally titled “An Act to Protect the Civil Rights and Safety of All Massachusetts Residents,” would dramatically narrow when local police and other public-facing institutions may cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If adopted Thursday, the measure would prohibit civil immigration arrests—without a judicial warrant—at public schools, day-care centers, hospitals, doctors’ offices and state courts. Police officers conducting routine traffic or street stops could no longer inquire about a person’s immigration status unless it is directly relevant to a criminal investigation. Employers served with ICE “no-match” or I-9 audit notices would have to alert their workforces 48 hours in advance, giving immigrant employees time to seek counsel. State prisons and county jails would be required to provide detained non-citizens with multilingual know-your-rights materials and contacts for legal aid. A sticking point for progressive advocates was a carve-out allowing local agencies to enter into limited 287(g) agreements—the federal program that deputizes local officers to enforce immigration law—if the governor signs off and the focus remains on suspects in criminal cases. Negotiators said the guardrails strike a pragmatic balance between public-safety cooperation and civil-rights protections, but immigrant-rights groups vowed to monitor any future 287(g) applications closely. Beyond enforcement limits, the bill imposes new service standards: law-enforcement agencies must process certifications for U- and T-visa applicants (crime and trafficking victims) within 45 days, and the state must publish multilingual guidance for businesses, schools and health-care providers on how to respond to ICE inquiries. The proposal also codifies guardianship plans for U.S.-citizen children if parents are detained or deported—an issue that gained urgency after a series of workplace raids in New England. For U.S. and multinational employers with mobile talent in Massachusetts, the measure would provide greater predictability: employees and dependents on federal visas would face less risk of immigration questioning at routine checkpoints or in sensitive locations, and companies would gain a clear timeline for I-9 audit notifications. Should the bill clear both chambers Thursday, it will head to Governor Maura Healey, who has signaled support for “humane, commonsense” immigrant-protection legislation.
Source: Axios Boston
