Trump’s mass deportation order would create a disaster for communities – and a crisis of legitimacy for local police
Public safety will suffer if local law enforcement officials join the reckless effort to roundup millions of people
By Jim Jordan
(Image by Gerd Altmann via Pixabay)
LAST WEEK, Massachusetts found itself at the center of the controversy over President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants once he takes office.
On Wednesday, Trump’s newest attack dog – and campaign finance benefactor – Elon Musk, armed with his own social media platform to stir the pot, ripped “sanctuary” cities in Massachusetts that he said were “protecting child rapists” after federal immigration authorities arrested three foreign nationals in the state.
“Any politician who does so should be recalled immediately,” he said of those who oppose the use of local police to aid immigration enforcement.
That came two days after the man Trump named to serve as his “border czar” took aim at Boston Mayor Michelle Wu over her pledge not to cooperate with any mass deportation efforts the incoming administration mounts, which the mayor said would only harm public safety.
Trump’s promise to deport one million undocumented residents per year will compromise public safety and create a crisis of legitimacy for many municipal police departments in the Commonwealth and across the US. And it’s not just progressive politicians like Wu and Gov. Maura Healey who are saying that; law enforcement officials across the state have said so as well.
Police departments will be asked to compromise their commitments to community safety by joining a Trump crusade to capture and deport people accused of violating federal civil immigration rules. (The conduct becomes criminal only if a person has been deported previously and has re-entered the US.)
Salem Police Chief Lucas Miller said 10 days ago that his department will not help federal agents and US soldiers apprehend people whose sole offense is unlawful immigration. “The Salem Police Department does not and is not authorized to enforce federal immigration law,”
Miller said in a statement. “We recognize that there is concern, particularly in our immigrant community, about what the future might bring. We will continue to adhere to our mandate to protect the safety of all Salem residents and visitors, regardless of their immigration status.”
Gov. Healey has said that Massachusetts State Police will not provide assistance, and Mayor Wu has declared that her city also will not be assisting the federal government in apprehending immigrants whose only offense is living in the US without permission.
COMMONWEALTH NEWS SERVICE