THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, ApRil 3, 2026 Page 17 BEACON HILL ROLL CALL Volume 51 - Report No. 13 March 23-27, 3026 By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on local representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of March 2327. There were no roll calls in the Senate last week. THE “PROTECT ACT” (H 5305) House 134-21, approved and sent to the Senate the PROTECT Act that supporters said would establish statewide standards governing interactions between state and local systems and federal immigration enforcement. They said the measure would strengthen due process protections, limit civil immigration enforcement in courthouses, expand protections for victims of crime and increase transparency, accountability and clarity for correctional facilities and law enforcement. Provisions include restricting state and local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement by prohibiting law enforcement from inquiring about immigration status unless the inquiry is directly material to a specific criminal offense; limiting civil arrests in courthouses by requiring a judicial warrant or order, and a review by a judicial official; prohibiting in most cases a civil arrest from being made in a courtroom; creating uniform standards for individuals in correctional facilities including requiring notice of legal rights to be read to the prisoner in his or her primary language at intake; guaranteeing confidential attorney-client communication; authorizing the governor to restrict civil immigration enforcement in nonpublic areas of state facilities; and requiring multilingual guidance for agencies, private entities, law enforcement and the public. Other provisions would require employers to notify employees within 48 hours of any federal immigration inspection, and give victims of crimes, including human trafficking and labor exploitation, a clearer and faster path to obtain certifications needed to apply for certain immigration visas, with safeguards against retaliation tied to immigration status. “Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, ICE and Border Patrol agents have continued to harass and disappear innocent Americans with total impunity – a reckless approach that has led to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and to children being separated from their families,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “Those actions have immigrants in Massachusetts living in fear as they go to work or bring their children to school, and they jeopardize the trust that local law enforcement has worked hard to build. By passing the PROTECT Act we will create a statewide standard for governing interactions between state and local systems and federal immigration enforcement.” “Our commonwealth and nation are built upon a foundation of laws,” said Rep. Dan Cahill (D-Lynn), House Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. “After 250 years of democracy, we believe it is incumbent upon us in Massachusetts to affi rm and uphold the fundamental principles that defi ne the separation of state and federal powers and jurisdictions. The PROTECT Act reinforces the longstanding understanding that, absent explicit consent, state resources will not be used for federal civil immigration enforcement.” “[The bill] continues to put illegal aliens in front of American citizens,” said Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) who opposed the measure. “It’s performative and was just an excuse for the speakers to generate campaign speeches.” Gaskey continued, “The thing that was lost in all the speeches and I tried to remind everyone, that all of this is being targeted toward illegal aliens, undocumented immigrants if you must, not legal immigrants. There is a 6-month mandatory jail sentence for coming across illegally. A second time is two years. If you were previously deported and you sneak back in, it’s ten years. And for comparison, DUI is a misdemeanor, so the civil violation argument is out the window. Let’s not forget the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision that recognized immigration courts as the authority on asylum and immigration.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it,) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes ICE IN SCHOOLS (H 5305) House 135-18, approved an amendment that would require the governor to publish, prominently on the state’s website, multilingual guidelines for all school districts, on how to handle interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other law enforcement offi cers regarding civil immigration enforcement. The guidelines would include designating a contact person to be notifi ed of the presence of, or information requests from, law enforcement agents engaged in enforcement; verifying the identity and authority of any law enforcement offi cer engaged in enforcement; verifying the validity of any judicial warrant or judicial order provided; documenting and maintaining records of all interactions with law enforcement agents engaged in enforcement; and informing all persons how to respond to requests relating to enforcement. Amendment supporters said that these guidelines will help protect young students and ensure that ICE is following the rules and not unfairly targeting kids. They noted that attendance at schools is down in many areas because students are afraid and anxious about ICE raids. Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) opposed the amendment. “If someone at the school commits a crime, they go get the student. If a student’s parent is arrested or worse, authorities go get the student. If parents are being deported, it is only just for the authorities to go get the student to be with their parents.” Rep. Sean Reid (D-Lynn), the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call explaining why he filed the amendment and how he felt about its passage. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes BEACON | SEE PAGE 18
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