Last week, State Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham) introduced a legislative package of five bills designed to protect Massachusetts residents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents’ increasingly dangerous actions. After 2025 was their deadliest year in decades, only a month into this year, ICE and Customs and Border Police (CBP) have detained small children, ripped parents out of their children’s arms, dragged people from their homes into the cold, and killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
“ICE’s recklessness defies both democracy and safety. Their actions are a gut punch to American values and human decency,” said Senator Becca Rausch. “We can and should pursue all of our options here in Massachusetts to protect our communities and ensure accountability. These bills aim to rein in ICE from operating with dangerous impunity and defend our civil and constitutional rights.”
Three of Senator Rausch’s anti-ICE bills focus on immediately improving community safety.
The remaining two bills make it crystal clear that ICE is not above the law.
This anti-ICE suite of legislation would protect vulnerable children from being forced into abandonment by ICE, advance accountability, and help shield our communities in a moment of growing chaos and dangerousness in ICE operations. Last year, 32 people died in U.S. immigration custody. In January of this year alone, eight people were killed by ICE or CPB agents or died in their custody.
This legislative package bolsters the continuing work across multiple state government branches to address ICE’s dangerous actions. Last week, Governor Maura Healey issued an Executive Order to prohibit the state from entering into any new 287(g) agreements with ICE and exclude ICE from using state property as staging areas. She also introduced robust legislation to prohibit ICE activity in schools, childcare centers, hospitals, and places of worship. Senator Rausch has also cosponsored several bills filed by her colleagues to place limits on ICE, including a bill filed by Senator Lydia Edwards to limit ICE actions at courthouses and an anti-mask bill filed by Senator Pat Jehlen that incorporates language Senator Rausch first filed as an amendment in October 2025.
Now serving her fourth term in the Massachusetts Senate, Senator Becca Rausch represents the Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex District (Bellingham, Dover, Franklin, Medfield, Milford, Millis, Needham, Norfolk, Plainville, Sherborn, and Wrentham). She is the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, and the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on the Census.
