01.25.24 —For the second time in two years, Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) submitted testimony to the Massachusetts General Court’s Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in support of the proposed Safe Communities Act (S.1510/H.2288), which seeks to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents by limiting the involvement of local law enforcement officers in federal immigration enforcement.

PHRGE’s testimony highlighted data from its recent report, “Safe Communities in Massachusetts: The Response of Massachusetts Municipalities to the Immigration Enforcement Policies of the Trump Administration,” co-authored by Elizabeth Ennen ’08, director of PHRGE; Andra Lehotay de León ’23; and Colleen Maney ’20. The report documents the adoption of 58 safe community policies in 49 Massachusetts municipalities between January 2017 and January 2021 and finds that nearly 90 percent of these policies seek to reduce the voluntary collaboration of local police officers with federal immigration-enforcement officials.

“The adoption of safe community policies in so many Massachusetts municipalities is a sign that our commonwealth is more than ready for the Safe Communities Act — and that the time has come to provide the protections embedded in the Safe Communities Act to all immigrants living in the commonwealth,” wrote Ennen, author of the testimony.

About Northeastern University School of Law

The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,000 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.

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