Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (C) signs the Protect Act into law on Wednesday at La Colaborativa, a Latina-led nonprofit economic development agency in Chelsea, Mass. Photo courtesy Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey/X
Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has signed landmark legislation that provides what she says are the nation's strongest protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executing President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown.
At La Colaborativa, a Latina-led nonprofit economic development agency in Chelsea, Mass., Healey signed the PROTECT Act on Wednesday during a press conference while surrounded by immigrants, advocates, members of law enforcement and others.
"This is what makes Massachusetts special: It's our people. And today, we, the people of Massachusetts, are standing up and fighting back because we know what we need to do," she said. "We know that what ICE is doing is wrong and it needs to stop."
The PROTECT Act, which takes immediate effect, is a sweeping bill that limits local cooperation with federal immigration authorities while giving individuals additional legal protections and remedies if detained, deported or victimized by ICE agents.
