Masks off and warrants out: State Sen. Edwards files bill to curb ICE actions at Mass. courthouses

State Sen. Lydia Edwards filed a bill Tuesday to restrict how federal immigration agents show up at Massachusetts courthouses and who they can arrest at them.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents increasingly have staked out court hearings in the state to arrest people amid President Trump's mass deportation effort. A WBUR analysis previously found court arrests jumped threefold in January through October 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

The legislation would require ICE agents obtain and show a judicial warrant to court personnel in order to take someone into custody at a courthouse for a civil immigration matter, such as overstaying a visa.

Federal agents often arrest people without a judicial warrant for civil infractions. If passed, this law would require a judicial warrant for officers to arrest someone on a civil matter on courthouse grounds in the state.

The proposed law also would ban anyone inside a courthouse from wearing a mask and require all law enforcement officers to identify themselves and state their purpose to court officials.

The East Boston senator said her bill protects access to justice by making sure no one is scared to go to court.

"When you don't feel safe to go to court — especially if you're a witness to a crime — that makes it harder for all of us to feel safe because how are we going to prosecute?" she said.

Edwards, who co-chairs the Legislature's judiciary committee, said the bill will make it possible for the attorney general to file lawsuits on behalf of Massachusetts residents when there are violations.

Edwards said the measures are similar to laws in Connecticut and New York.