Then-Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey speaks at a news conference in New York City on July 19, 2016. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin August 9, 2026 at 7:30am
Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey signed a new law on Aug. 5 attempting to block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from accessing a variety of locations across the state.
Healey described the law, which names schools, daycares, hospitals, health centers, nursing homes, and courthouses as places ICE cannot access, as the strongest legislation in the country against ICE.
The official claimed that children in Chelsea, where she signed the legislation, have not been attending school for fear of ICE encounters, per a report from CBS News.
She also claimed that people have stopped going to the doctor’s office or testifying in court to avoid ICE.
NEW: Gov Healey says that “ICE is NOT a law enforcement agency” and says that nobody in ICE would have been qualified to be hired for a state agency (such as the Massachusetts State Police) pic.twitter.com/ggWch6Jh0M
— Mass Daily News (@MassDailyNews) July 29, 2026
“The law I’m signing today is a public safety law,” Healey told reporters at the signing event.
“I think we can agree that we need immigration reform in this country. We can agree we need controls at the border,” she continued.
“We can also agree that ICE is so wrong in what it’s doing and ICE needs to be stopped, here in Massachusetts and around this country, just stopped in its tracks.”
Maura Healey Signs Law Expanding Illegal Immigrant Protections Against ICE In Massachusetts
Gov. Maura Healey signed the PROTECT Act into law Wednesday, immediately expanding protections against civil immigration arrests by ICE at schools, hospitals, child care centers and… pic.twitter.com/v6o99DrvwW
— New Boston Post (@NewBostonPost) August 5, 2026
The new law comes as ICE expands its nationwide crackdown, with detentions reaching a record level in July for President Donald Trump’s second term.
A representative for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to CBS News that “instead of working with us, Massachusetts lawmakers are choosing to RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.”
“When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities,” the statement added.
“Seven of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE.”
There are 15 sanctuary states across the country as of June, according to a report from the Center for Immigration Studies.
Such cities, counties, and states across the country have “laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE.”
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
