Faith leaders call on Healey to enact protections against ICE

Nearly 200 religious leaders gathered at the State House Friday to protest immigration enforcement action in Massachusetts, as well as the violence and unrest federal agents have brought to Minneapolis.

The group of faith leaders, organized by the nonprofit Massachusetts Communities Action Network, prayed in solidarity with immigrant communities and delivered a letter seeking a meeting with Gov. Maura Healey.

Their letter pointed to recent ICE actions in Minnesota, including the detention of a five-year-old boy, as incidents that “threaten not only the lives and well-being of individuals and families but also the foundational rights of all people to feel safe in their homes, workplaces and public spaces.”

Rabbi David Jaffe, co-president of the Brockton Interfaith Community, said the governor is the "right person" to appeal to in order to enact protections for people in the commonwealth.

" We also know she cares deeply about this," Jaffe said at the protest. He noted that Healey "was out there in front" back when she was Massachusetts attorney general, speaking against the first Trump administration's actions against Muslims and other minority groups. Their protest came a day after Healey criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement in her State of the Commonwealth address, saying "enough is enough."

Critics have said Healey's remarks on ICE Thursday night were sharp but lacked a specific action plan. Jaffe and his peers are urging her to take executive action that would prevent ICE from using state property, like courthouses, to stage arrests.

“We want to see an executive order that creates a commission within her administration to make sure no unconstitutional actions are being taken against protected classes in Massachusetts," Jaffe said. “And then finally, we want a truth commission that's set up to hold anyone accountable who violates people's rights in the state of Massachusetts through work with ICE.”

The group requested to meet with the governor in the next three weeks.

Rev. Katie Omberg, area conference minister with the United Church of Christ for Metro Boston and Northeast Massachusetts, told WBUR, "All human life is valuable and our churches need to be brave and say that too.”

“I'm here to encourage our clergy and churches to be bold, to take the risks that need to be taken in order to spread the love and justice of Jesus," she said.