Lawmakers, advocates push for more protections for immigrants in Mass.

Dozens rallied at the steps of the State House in Boston on Wednesday in support of a bill that would to restrict police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The Safe Communities Act would prohibit police in Massachusetts from being deputized as federal immigration agents and bar police from asking about someone’s immigration status.

Backers say it builds on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s Lunn v. Commonwealth decision, which ruled that local law enforcement cannot hold an individual based solely on a federal immigration detainer, except in cases where there are serious criminal charges.

Proponents say the bill would help build trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, where people are often hesitant to report crimes for fear of deportation. But critics say it would further impede federal immigration authorities from removing dangerous criminals.

The measure comes as Massachusetts and Boston, in particular, face pressure from Republicans in Congress to cooperate more with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been asked to appear before a congressional panel probing so-called sanctuary cities.

State lawmakers and local activists at the rally pushed back Wednesday on the framing that ICE agents are pursuing only public safety threats for deportations, and that any policies limiting cooperation with ICE get in the way.

“We lived through it already for four years,” state Sen. Liz Miranda said, referring to President Trump’s first term in office. “If anyone tells you that they're only focused on violent criminals, they are lying.”

Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, which organized the rally Wednesday, said fears of deportations have only increased since Trump took office.

“They are really afraid that just stepping out into the street is going to put them at risk right now,” Sweet said.

Arthur Almeda, head of the Boston Missionary Baptist Community Center in Roxbury and a native of Haiti, came to the rally with his American passport tucked in his jacket pocket.

“You never know what's gonna happen,” Almeda said. “Because those guys do anything. Anything, anytime.”

André Simões, program manager at the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston, said he’s seen first-hand the impact the Trump administration’s messaging has had in the Brazilian community.

“People have just been so afraid to go outside the house,” Simões said. “This kind of legislation can allow for people to continue their common life and work.”

Several iterations of this bill have died in committee over the years since it was first introduced in 2013 as the Trust Act.