PRESS RELEASE
Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform (MCIR)
Voice your Opposition to Bills That Encourage Illegal Immigration
With Election Day approaching, Massachusetts voters should be aware of the
danger that during the post-election “lame duck” session the state legislature may
try to enact two bills that would reward and encourage illegal immigration. One
bill (H3012/ S2641) would allow persons in the country illegally to obtain drivers’
licenses. The second (H3573/S1401) would obstruct cooperation between state and
local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in finding
and removing criminal aliens; it is called the “safe communities bill” by its
sponsors, whereas it can more accurately be described as a “sanctuary state” bill.
The Governor opposes both these bills.
Earlier versions of these bills were introduced periodically over the past decade,
but until the present session none were ever reported out of committee. Even
though Democrats outnumber Republicans by wide margins in both chambers,
most Democratic legislators realize that these bills have little grassroots support
and never allowed a floor vote.
In the background lurks the fact that legislative accountability is minimal in
Massachusetts. Not only is party representation badly unbalanced, but most
legislators never face contested elections. The sanctuary bill has 20 sponsors in the
40-member Senate, 15 of whom ran unopposed in the 2018 general election while
the drivers’ licenses bill has 11 sponsors, 6 of whom were unopposed. In the
elections next week only 8 senators of 40 will face an opponent. Shielded from
voter accountability, these legislators tend to be more responsive to highly
ideological and well organized supporters of radical measures than they are to the
electorate.
The situation in the House is marginally different. The sanctuary bill has only 25
co-sponsors, 21 of whom ran unopposed. Of the drivers’ licenses bill’s 63
sponsors, 52 were unopposed. Still, 108 of the 160 members of the House will be
unopposed in the upcoming election.
Typically, the legislators conclude business by July and would now be awaiting the
voter’s verdict. However, due to the COVID crisis the session has been extended
indefinitely and it will probably continue until a new legislature is seated in
January 2021.
In what may well be a turbulent post-election environment, the proponents of pro-
illegal immigration bills may seize the opportunity to push wavering colleagues
into voting for laws that would not receive serious consideration in normal times.
In view of these risks, the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform
(MCIR) is urging voters to make their voices heard:
- If your legislators are sponsors of these bills you can make your
disagreement known to them, even if they face no opposition;
- If your legislators are not sponsors and/or will face an opponent in the
election, it is even more important to let your senators and representatives
know that you oppose these bills and will be watching the “lame duck”
session carefully;
- If you do not know your legislators’ names, their contact details can be
found on the Massachusetts Legislature’s website
https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator
- If you prefer, you can contact MCIR directly (at
thompsonmcir@yahoo.com) for legislators’ names and contact details as
well as their record on these bills.
A list of sponsors is attached to this Press release and is also available
on MCIR’s website: https://www.masscir.com/post/where-house-senate-members-stand-on-pro-illegal-immigration-bills-before-mass-legislature
For questions regarding this Press Release contact:
John Thompson
thompson419@gmail.com
Steve Kropper
steve@kropper.com
www.facebook.com/MassCIR
https://twitter.com/Mass_CIR
List of house sponsors:
List of senate sponsors: