Gov. Healey's Republican challengers want local police to work more with ICE

Gov. Maura Healey's Republican challengers are calling on state and local police to collaborate more actively with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the wake of chaotic federal immigration arrests over the past few weeks.

"If I was governor, on day one, the state police would be cooperating with ICE," former MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve said in an interview. "I believe that all state, local, municipal police should be cooperating with ICE to make this state safer."

Local police are currently prohibited from making arrests based solely on a person's immigration status, under a ruling by the state's high court, as well as local rules in Boston and some other municipalities.

"We should be working with federal officials — not against them — to get violent criminals off our streets,” Mike Kennealy, former housing and economic development secretary under the Baker administration, said in a statement.

Both GOP candidates blamed the Healey administration's policies for the way recent ICE actions unfolded.

The recent ICE arrest of a Brazilian woman in Worcester drew dozens of protestors and onlookers, including a city councilor. Alarmed residents called police, and so did ICE agents: more than 30 Worcester police officers arrived on the scene. The standoff ended in one arrest by agents and two by police. Following the melee, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts threatened to crack down on protesters that "obstruct" ICE arrests.

Shortsleeve said the situation highlights the need to pass a new law creating a buffer zone around police activity. Under the proposed "Halo Act," bystanders would be prohibited from being within 25 feet from first responders during an incident.

"We need to stand with the police, we shouldn't be interfering with the work they're doing, regardless of whether they are local, state, or federal law enforcement," he said.

Barnstable Republican Rep. Steve Xiarhos, one of the sponsors of the bill, said the law is modeled after similar legislation in Florida.

"Our first responders should be respected," he said. "To yell and scream and call them names when they're in the middle of trying to quell a disturbance or save a life, it's not right."

But Xiarhos said the bill would apply to Massachusetts police and first responders, not federal law enforcement agents.

A spokesperson for Healey did not respond to questions about her challengers' criticisms. But the governor has pushed back on characterizations of Massachusetts as a "sanctuary state" and says law enforcement routinely cooperates with immigration officials in criminal matters.

"We share an interest in making sure that those who have done violent things, that have committed crimes, are held accountable," Healey said in a recent interview with WBUR. "We also have due process, we have a rule of law, there are certain requirements that ICE needs to follow."