1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

On Thursday, May 8, there was a violent arrest of a 16-year-old girl and her mother in Worcester, in which local police appeared to assist ICE officials despite their refusal to present a warrant. If you aren’t aware of this story, here is a link: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/massachusetts-police-hold-girls-face-ground-ice-arrests-mother-video-s-rcna205798 This is concerning on several levels. First and foremost, by not presenting a judicial warrant, ICE made an illegal arrest. Secondly, local police do not enforce immigration law and should not have assisted in the arrest. Third, a 16-year-old child was violently wrestled to the ground by multiple officers and had her face shoved into the ground. They later released her, indicating they traumatized her for no reason at all. We must not bow to anti-immigrant rhetoric and allow unlawful arrests without a judicial warrant. You, as our Governor, must work with your colleagues in the MA legislature to ensure due process and the rule of law in our state, even if it goes against federal overreach. You must follow the state and federal Constitutions and protect all MA residents’ rights.