Summer safety in the city
PLAYING IT SAFE — On the campaign trail, Mayor Michelle Wu has touted Boston's low homicide rate.
The city saw the lowest number of murders in more than half a century last year. The challenge, as the mayoral election starts to ramp up, is keeping it that way.
Standing alongside city safety officials and civic leaders, Wu rolled out the city's summer safety plan that officials said focuses on crime prevention and intervention as well as increased community engagement. Under the plan, the mayor's Community Safety Team will shift under the purview of the Boston Public Health Commission's Office of Violence Prevention, and a $1 million donation from the Cummings Foundation will help fund programs like 'Boston After Dark,' a series of free, Friday night events for teens.
'Any incident of violence is too much in our communities, and we know that for families in our neighborhoods, the numbers don't reset every year in their daily lives,' Wu told reporters. 'Overall, we still see that the numbers, if you just look at the statistics, are below the five-year average and that the progress is continuing,' — that these two years will likely be the lowest two years in some time.'
Still, Tuesday's press conference made evident how challenging holding that trend can be. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox opened the event by addressing a shooting that had occurred less than two hours earlier, where a man grabbed an officer's gun near Massachusetts General Hospital and shot himself in the foot.
Homicides are up compared to this time last year. According to Universal Hub, eight people have been killed in the city so far this year, up from four during the same time last year. City officials are bracing for the typical summer uptick, he said Thursday, when roughly a third of the city's shootings typically take place.
Wu's chief challenger, Josh Kraft has criticized the mayor over other safety concerns in the city, including an uptick in petty crime in downtown Boston and a higher number of violent crimes in the area than in years past. An upward trend in the city's homicide rate would give Wu's critics new fodder to undermine her claim that Boston is the safest city in the country.
But Democratic state Rep. Russell Holmes, who's backing Wu in the mayoral race, largely brushed those concerns at Tuesday's event.
'I don't take credit when homicides are down, and I don't take credit when they're up,' Holmes told Playbook. 'But this is much more than the homicide number.'
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey announces the results of Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation's regulatory review at 10:15 a.m., chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House and hosts a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at 3:30 p.m. Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at a CREW Boston reception for women in government at 5:30 p.m. in Boston. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a walking tour at 10:15 a.m. and press conference at 10:45 a.m. on canceled federal grants for coastal resilience in Chelsea. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on GBH's 'Boston Public Radio' at noon.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Conversation with Dasha Burns arrives on Sunday, June 1 — and we're dropping a first look. Each week on her new podcast, Dasha will sit down with one of the most compelling — and sometimes unexpected — power players in Washington. This isn't just a podcast. It's a new kind of political interview show for a moment when politics feels more personal, more chaotic and more consequential than ever. Catch the video and audio trailer out this morning to see what Dasha's digging into this season. And subscribe to the podcast, wherever you listen or watch.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Senate budget panel trims House spending bill by Sam Drysdale and Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: 'Six days after the House approved a $530 million supplemental budget (H 4151) to replenish a string of state programs, the Senate gave initial approval to a scaled-back version appropriating nearly $190 million for child care services that could soon run out of money. The bill, which needs another Senate vote before the House can respond, leaves decisions about hundreds of millions of dollars for an unspecified future date as lawmakers deliberate several other major spending bills.'
— Healey says 250,000 people in Massachusetts could lose insurance under GOP's proposed cuts by Katie Lannan, GBH News: 'Elected officials in Massachusetts are warning that cuts approved by the U.S. House last week could cost 250,000 Bay Staters their health insurance and tear a hole in the fabric of the state's broader health care system. … Healey's office said that Massachusetts would lose $1.75 billion in federal funding under the bill for its Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, and for the Massachusetts Health Connector insurance marketplace.'
MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS
— ICE begins detentions at immigration courts in Boston and Chelmsford by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: 'At least three individuals were detained at immigration courts in Massachusetts on Tuesday — the first local immigrants to be detained in and around courts overseen by the U.S. Department of Justice's Executive Office of Immigration Review. Similar arrests are being seen elsewhere around country, signaling a tactic change to a long-standing practice when it comes to immigration enforcement.'
ICE ON THE ISLANDS — The Department of Homeland Security appeared to confirm reports Tuesday that several people were deported from Nantucket as part of an operation that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were carrying out on the island.
'ICE is removing illegal aliens from ALL states, communities and worksites across this country,' DHS posted on X, above a video from the Nantucket Current that showed several people in life vests sitting on a U.S. Coast Guard boat along with officers wearing what appeared to be bulletproof vests.
Local reports also said that ICE officers made several arrests Tuesday on both Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Neither ICE nor Nantucket police immediately responded to requests for comment Tuesday night.
State Sen. Julian Cyr said it was 'sad' and 'shameful to see the immigrants who make our communities function, particularly in these most busy summer months, be targeted, harassed, and in some cases, forcibly removed from their families and lives just for a political agenda.'
FROM THE HUB
— Are Boston's school buses still the safest choice for students? by Christopher Huffaker, The Boston Globe: 'City officials recently said the district's buses are involved in about 400 crashes per year, though most are minor. Across the state, 19 people died in school bus-involved crashes in the last decade; across the country, more than 100 die that way each year. More than a dozen personal injury claims have been filed against the transportation company Transdev, and its drivers, since it began operating BPS school buses in 2013, according to a Globe review of court data. Still, experts say school buses remain one the safest modes of transportation to take students to and from school.'
FROM HARVARD YARD
— Trump administration pursues termination of Harvard contracts by Juan Perez Jr., POLITICO: 'The Trump administration is pressuring federal agencies to terminate their contracts with Harvard as the university and government continue a high-stakes battle over the future of billions of dollars that serve as a critical resource for the elite institution. The General Services Administration proclaimed the Ivy League university engages in racial discrimination in its admissions and other aspects of campus life, prompting the administration to help agencies carry out a 'review for termination or transition of their federal government contracts' with Harvard, according to a letter sent Tuesday.'
— As Trump targets elite schools, Harvard's president says they should 'stand firm' by Steve Inskeep, Obed Manuel and Reena Advani, WBUR.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
— China to Springfield: The MBTA's 11-year struggle to get new Red and Orange Line cars by Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez, WBUR: 'Eleven years and a billion dollars after the MBTA signed a deal with a Chinese company for new and improved train cars on the Orange and Red lines, the job still isn't done. The rollout has been plagued by malfunctioning equipment on the trains. Costs have risen and the initial delivery date of 2023 for many cars has been pushed out to 2027. And now President Trump's tariffs on goods from China could further complicate completion of the work. Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, said in retrospect, the T could have saved time and money by going with a company that was already established here.'
FROM THE 413
— Gaming Commission grants Western Massachusetts $3.2 million in casino mitigation funds by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican: 'The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Tuesday more than $3.2 million in community mitigation funds for Western Massachusetts. Grants include $200,000 for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to do a traffic study on the impact of cars headed through Springfield and neighboring towns headed to MGM Springfield.'
— Districts make funding pleas at Northampton Youth Commission-led meeting with state education boss by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'School districts across the Pioneer Valley made their case for more support to rural and western school districts, appealing directly before Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler during a visit he made to Northampton High School on Tuesday. Tutwiler made the trek from Boston to Northampton at the request of the Northampton Youth Commission, an official city body consisting of high school students that advocates for youth in the city.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Teachers union rips new graduation guidelines by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'The state's largest teachers union is pushing back against plans to use MCAS test results to help gauge whether students meet high school graduation requirements. The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted last week to approve the 'limited use' of MCAS scores to determine if students are satisfying the competency determination for a high school diploma.'
— Worcester schools budget proposal: $586 million, no layoffs planned, uncertainty remains by Jesse Collings, Telegram & Gazette: 'The proposed Worcester Public Schools budget for the next school year is set at $586 million, an increase of $33.8 million, or 6.1% over last year. The district announced earlier this month that the proposed budget would be within striking distance of $600 million, and the budget is currently undergoing a series of public hearings before it will ultimately be voted on by the School Committee.'
— Quincy, Massachusetts, residents sue city, mayor over plan for religious statues on public building by Alex Svenson, WCVB: 'A multifaith group of Quincy, Massachusetts, residents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Norfolk Superior Court to stop the planned installation of two large religious statues at the entrance of the city's new public safety building, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced.'
— Taunton High bans cell phones Emma Rindlisbacher, Taunton Daily Gazette: 'Starting next school year, cell phones will be banned at Taunton High, due to a policy passed by the School Committee at their Wednesday, May 14 meeting. According to the new policy, after students arrive at the high school, they will 'place their phone, AirPods/earbuds, and smartwatch inside their Yondr pouch and lock it in front of school staff;' and will not unlock the pouch until after the end of the school day.'
— Dartmouth could ban homeless encampments, allow guns in town hall by Matthew Ferreira, The Standard-Times: 'On June 3, Dartmouth voters at Town Meeting will decide whether or not to pass a bylaw which could ban homeless encampments in town, and whether town-owned buildings like Town Hall should be exempt from a new law barring firearms from municipal buildings.'
MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
— Stefany Shaheen launches 2026 campaign for New Hampshire 1st Congressional District by Adam Sexton, WMUR: 'Highlighting her work as a health care advocate for her daughter, who has Type 1 Diabetes, Shaheen says she can no longer stay on the sidelines of politics, and she points to the Trump Administration and Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as motivating factors in her decision to enter the race in the 1st Congressional District.'
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Joe Gravellese has started a new position as community development planner for the City of Revere.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Alan Khazei, Rich Thuma, Jeff Santos and Ellen Weinstein Pildis.
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A few votes can swing a ward race. Morris County has a few wild ones in 2025
Local elections, particularly in election years not involving presidential or midterm congressional races, are often decided by a handful of votes cast among low voter turnouts. In towns where council or committee elections are split into separate geographic wards, the voter margins are often razor-thin, with as few as two or three votes sometimes making the difference. That should come as an added incentive for ward residents in towns such as Dover and Rockaway Township to make their vote count. This year, both of those towns feature some of the most contentious campaigns in Morris County. In Dover, two well-known town leaders are challenging incumbent council candidates backed by Mayor James Dodd in separate ward races in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 10. The winners will be heavily favored in the majority Democratic town to win office in November. In 2023, the last non-presidential election year, only 1,978 votes were cast in the Dover Democratic primary's four ward races, or about 495 votes per ward. The average margin of victory was about 65 votes. This year, the two most notable and noisy campaigns have been seen and heard in wards 1 and 2. The Ward 1 race pits first-term incumbent Claudia Toro against former Dover Board of Education President Daniella Mendez. Toro, who owns a family tax service in Dover, touts her achievements as a successful female Hispanic business owner and public servant. She's been a Dover resident since immigrating from Colombia in 2004. Mendez made headlines in 2023 as the first trans woman in the state to be elected as a public school board president. After completing two terms leading the board, she stepped down last year to focus on her council campaign, which she launched in December. Raised in Paterson, she's been a Dover resident for 10 years. The race has featured heated rhetoric from both sides, particularly from the Toro campaign and its supporters, which has produced literature, social media and video alleging improprieties in Mendez's personal life. Speaking to the Daily Record a week before the primary, Mendez said she wanted to focus beyond "the smear campaign" of her opponents and stick to the issues. She said the work she does as a director of community engagement for the nonprofit Edge NJ in Parsippany gives her insight into the mental health and other needs of vulnerable, low-income people often found in Dover. Mendez said she is proud of her accomplishments but looks forward to the day when "the fact that I was the first is not a big deal." Her motivation to run for council starts with "I love Dover." "Dover is my adopted hometown," she said. "Serving in an elected office, I feel, is my way of giving back to a town that has given me so much in this chapter of my life. And quite frankly, I think that we have work to do in Dover, and I think that we can do better than we are doing, and I think that I am the right person to contribute to the team that moves us forward." Toro also loves her adopted hometown and launched her professional career after beginning studies for business administration at the former Dover Business College. She opened Toro Taxes on Blackwell Street in 2018. Her campaign lists accomplishments, including launching a senior care program and supporting a community and immigration programs initiative. Toro acknowledges it's been a turbulent first term while supporting the mayor as he has taken controversial steps in his return to office, including a recent decision to hold council meetings virtually without public attendance, seeking to sidestep out-of-town activists who have disrupted meetings in recent months. Mendez and others have accused her of being "simply a puppet" for Dodd. But Toro says she is up to taking some criticism in exchange for the chance to serve the community. "I am a strong woman," she said. "Politics can be intimidating, for women more than men. But I am strong. And I am prepared for this." Dover's Democratic primary in Ward 2 features a rematch between first-term incumbent Sergio Rodriguez against Judith Rugg, whom he unseated in the 2023 primary by 114 votes. Rodriguez's first term is well-documented as he accumulated multiple assault charges resulting from confrontations with men downtown whom he accused of drinking alcohol in downtown public spaces. His next court date to answer those charges is scheduled for June 16. The resulting controversy has generated frequent public calls for Rodriguez to resign, but with Dodd's support, he's eager to tackle a second term. The biggest misconception about his actions and methods, Rodriguez said in a Daily Record interview, is that he is "extremely, sometimes to a fault, transparent." "That comes out in various ways," said Rodriguez, 30, who owns a small business consulting and social media service. "And one of the ways that comes out is through my social media. And so where some people see that as an effort to try to make myself this hotshot politician that cares about his public image and only that, that's the misconception that can sometimes be made if you don't know me. But if anybody has followed me before my political career, they knew I was very vocal on social media. That's where my push comes from, from trying to give out as much information as possible." He brought up the issue of public drinking as an example, saying one of his first-term accomplishments was "shining a huge spotlight on that, to the point where it made everyone else act. It made our law enforcement act. It made our community leaders act. It made our elected officials act." Rugg, a career nurse who came into office with former Mayor Carolyn Blackman in 2019, lost her seat in 2023 as Dodd's "Rescue Dover" ticket, including Rodriguez, swept into office. Pleas from her Ward 2 neighbors to run again, she said, pushed her back into the race. "I believe in the truth," she said. "We don't know how this will turn out, but he was not being challenged on the ballot, and I thought that was wrong." Her top priority back in office would be healthcare. "We need a health department that can meet the needs of our elderly residents, of our uninsured residents, and of our newly arrived residents," she said. "As a nurse, I know how important this is. I served on the council during COVID and witnessed firsthand how devastating the pandemic was for Dover." Other priorities for Rugg would be addressing the need for affordable housing and improving communication between Town Hall and the residents. Another contentious ward rematch is unfolding among Republicans in Ward 6 of Rockaway Township, where incumbent Rachel Brookes is once again facing Tucker Kelley, whom she unseated from the council in 2021 by 96 votes. Brookes is running for re-election with a list of accomplishments and leaning into Kelley's reputation as a controversial figure around town, known for filing frequent OPRA requests and filing lawsuits to uncover what he has seen over the years as corruption and fiscal mismanagement by the governing body. A mother of four boys, marketing director for Crunch Fitness and a former board of education member, Brookes, 43, is seeking a second term. Her campaign literature touts first-term accomplishments, including increased hiring, funding and resources for first responders, ensuring the safety of recreational fields and "open communication and strong collaboration with residents, local groups, schools, and township departments." Kelley, 55, is a lifelong Rockaway Township resident who lives with his wife and daughter in the Lake Telemark section. A real estate entrepreneur, emission-control expert and construction-excavation business owner, he also owns and rents multiple commercial and residential properties throughout town. "I have a background in contract negotiations, municipal budgets as well as a large skill set in multiple trades and property management," he said. Brookes said she resigned from the school board to run for council against Kelley because she was "disheartened" by his behavior on the council. "We became an embarrassment," she told the Daily Record. "I had to make a choice, I felt no one else would do it, and decided to run for that seat." Even out of office, she said, he continues to harass township employees and file costly lawsuits against the town. "He's not a collaborative communicator," she continued. "He doesn't work well with others." Kelley doesn't apologize for his methods in a town he feels burdens residents with tactics that obstruct transparency and fiscal responsibility, stating, "I'm not afraid to stand up." "I am somebody who doesn't welcome the status quo," he said. "It's so costly, it's not effective. It's only helping the few rather than the many." Kelley also disputed Brooke's leadership in the accomplishments she is taking credit for in her campaign, adding she voted to raise council's and the mayor's salaries, while he donated his salary while in office to the Rockaway Township Volunteer Fire Company. Should he win, Kelley says his priorities would include lowering taxes for the next budget cycle, addressing necessary infrastructure upgrades, creating an economic committee to prepare for fiscal issues and increasing the morale of police officers and municipal employees. Both claim a record of fiscal stewardship and holding down tax increases. Kelley calculates he reduced the town's tax burden by $1.5 million through wasteful spending cuts during his term. The two are also at odds over social issues, with Kelley accusing Brookes of supporting a "woke" agenda during her time on the school board. "It's time to stop using our children as pawns in political games," he said. "I strongly oppose the radical woke agendas Rachael supported, such as transgender Policy 5756 (the state's "transgender student guidance" for districts), men participating in female sports and removing Columbus Day from our township calendars." "One of the biggest things is he likes to go on and on about woke agendas," Brookes said. "To me, that's just nonsense. It's just using hot words to be divisive, to divide the community, to not really talk about the needs of our evolving community." "We've increased our first responders," Brookes said. "We have added positions to our police department to hire officers to combat overtime and fatigue of our officers. We've really done a lot of work with the community." Kelley says the biggest misconception among his critics is his overlooking his passion for Rockaway Township and "community." "When I see my tax dollars wrongfully being misplaced to projects that benefit a very few amount of people, including some of our elected officials and their family, rather than the many, it makes me look into areas or topics and try to find a better way of directing our monies to serve the many," he said. Polls on primary day will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The early-voting period began June 3 and runs through June 8. May 20 was the deadline to register for the primary. Applications for mail-in ballots must be received by 3 p.m. on June 9. Mail-in ballots must be received by the Post Office by June 10. County clerks must certify election results by June 23. The 2025 general election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 14. This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris County NJ has few wild ward races in June 10 primary
an hour ago
Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley eyes GOP Senate run against Jon Ossoff in Georgia
DALTON, Ga. -- Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, said Friday that he is considering a Republican run for U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2026 against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. The trial balloon shows how Gov. Brian Kemp's decision not to run for the seat has left Georgia Republicans looking for other options to face off against Ossoff, considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent up for reelection next year. Dooley, 56, said he would decide on a bid in coming weeks. 'Georgia deserves stronger common-sense leadership in the U.S. Senate that represents all Georgians and focuses on results — not headlines,' Dooley said in a statement. 'I believe our state needs a political outsider in Washington — not another career politician — to cut through the noise and partisanship and get back to real problem solving.' The announcement, first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, came as other declared candidates stumped before the state Republican convention in the northwest Georgia city of Dalton. Among Republicans who have declared their candidacies are U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, Insurance Commissioner John King and activist Reagan Box. Other Republicans who could run include U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Rich McCormick, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Sen. Greg Dolezal. Attacks on Ossoff were among the most reliable applause lines during Friday afternoon speeches at the convention. 'Folks, President Trump needs backup, he needs backup in the Senate,' King said. Dooley has never run for office before. His appeal wouldn't be based on his career 32-41 record at Louisiana Tech and Tennessee, but his status as the son of legendary University Georgia coach Vince Dooley and Kemp's long ties to the Dooley family. As a teenager, Kemp was a frequent guest in the Dooley home, and roomed with Derek's older brother, Daniel Dooley, at the University of Georgia. Kemp has the most effective Republican political organization in Georgia, and he would likely give Dooley a big credibility boost. Kemp and President Donald Trump have been trying to agree on a mutual candidate to back for Senate in 2026, hoping to avoid the conflict that plagued Kelly Loeffler's unsuccessful run, where she lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a 2021 runoff. That, along with Republican David Perdue's loss to Ossoff on the same day handed control of the U.S. Senate to Democrats. Trump had preferred then U.S. Rep Doug Collins instead of Loeffler. Then in 2022, Trump anointed Georgia football legend Herschel Walker as the Republican nominee, but Warnock turned back Walker's flawed candidacy in another runoff. Kemp only swung in to help Walker in the runoff. The effort to screen 2026 candidates has already produced some results, with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene saying she wouldn't bring her right-wing positions to the Senate campaign trail. Dooley would be far from the first sports figure to run for office. His father was frequently discussed as a possible candidate, but never took the plunge. But other coaches have gone far. Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020 from Alabama and is now running for governor. Former Ohio State University coach Jim Tressel is currently that state's lieutenant governor. And University of Nebraska coaching legend Tom Osborne served three terms in the U.S. House. Dooley walked on in football at the University of Virginia and earned a scholarship as a wide receiver. He earned a law degree from the University of Georgia and briefly practiced law in Atlanta before working his way up the college coaching ladder, becoming head coach for three years at Louisiana Tech and then moving on to Tennessee. Dooley recorded three consecutive losing seasons in Knoxville before he was fired in 2012 after losing to in-state rival Vanderbilt. After that, he has worked as an assistant coach for the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, the University of Missouri and the New York Giants. Most recently, Dooley was an offensive analyst with the University of Alabama.
4 hours ago
Democratic states double down on laws resisting Trump's immigration crackdown
As President Donald Trump's administration targets states and local governments for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities, lawmakers in some Democratic-led states are intensifying their resistance by strengthening state laws restricting such cooperation. In California alone, more than a dozen pro-immigrant bills passed either the Assembly or Senate this week, including one prohibiting schools from allowing federal immigration officials into nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant. Other state measures have sought to protect immigrants in housing, employment and police encounters, even as Trump's administration has ramped up arrests as part of his plan for mass deportations. In Connecticut, legislation pending before Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont would expand a law that already limits when law enforcement officers can cooperate with federal requests to detain immigrants. Among other things, it would let 'any aggrieved person' sue municipalities for alleged violations of the state's Trust Act. Two days after lawmakers gave final approval to the measure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security included Connecticut on a list of hundreds of 'sanctuary jurisdictions' obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The list later was removed from the department's website after criticism that it errantly included some local governments that support Trump's immigration policies. Since taking office in January, Trump has enlisted hundreds of state and local law enforcement agencies to help identify immigrants in the U.S. illegally and detain them for potential deportation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement now lists 640 such cooperative agreements, a nearly fivefold increase under Trump. Trump also has lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and hospitals, and ordered federal prosecutors to investigate state or local officials believed to be interfering with his crackdown on illegal immigration. The Department of Justice sued Colorado, Illinois and New York, as well as several cities in those states and New Jersey, alleging their policies violate the U.S. Constitution or federal immigration laws. Just three weeks after Colorado was sued, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a wide-ranging law expanding the state's protections for immigrants. Among other things, it bars jails from delaying the release of inmates for immigration enforcement and allows penalties of up to $50,000 for public schools, colleges, libraries, child care centers and health care facilities that collect information about people's immigration status, with some exceptions. Polis rejected the administration's description of Colorado as a 'sanctuary state,' asserting that law officers remain 'deeply committed' to working with federal authorities on criminal investigations. 'But to be clear, state and local law enforcement cannot be commandeered to enforce federal civil immigration laws,' Polis said in a bill-signing statement. Illinois also has continued to press pro-immigrant legislation. A bill recently given final approval says no child can be denied a free public education because of immigration status — something already guaranteed nationwide under a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Supporters say the state legislation provides a backstop in case court precedent is overturned. The bill also requires schools to develop policies on handling requests from federal immigration officials and allows lawsuits for alleged violations of the measure. Democratic-led states are pursuing a wide range of means to protect immigrants. A new Oregon law bars landlords from inquiring about the immigration status of tenants or applicants. New laws in Washington declare it unprofessional conduct for bail bond agents to enforce civil immigration warrants, prohibit employers from using immigration status to threaten workers and let employees use paid sick leave to attend immigration proceedings for themselves or family members. Vermont last month repealed a state law that let law enforcement agencies enter into immigration enforcement agreements with federal authorities during state or national emergencies. They now need special permission from the governor to do so. As passed by the House, Maryland legislation also would have barred local governments from reaching immigration enforcement agreements with the federal government. That provision was removed in the Senate following pushback from some of the seven Maryland counties that currently have agreements. The final version, which took effect as law at the start of June, forbids public schools and libraries from granting federal immigration authorities access to nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant or 'exigent circumstances.' Maryland Del. Nicole Williams said residents' concerns about Trump's immigration policies prompted her to sponsor the legislation. 'We believe that diversity is our strength, and our role as elected officials is to make sure that all of the residents within our community — regardless of their background — feel safe and comfortable,' Williams said. Though legislation advancing in Democratic states may shield against Trump's policies, 'I would say it's more so to send a message to immigrant communities to let them know that they are welcome,' said Juan Avilez, a policy associate at the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit advocacy group. In California, a law that took effect in 2018 already requires public schools to adopt policies 'limiting assistance with immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible.' Some schools have readily applied the law. When DHS officers attempted a welfare check on migrant children at two Los Angeles elementary schools in April, they were denied access by both principals. Legislation passed by the state Senate would reinforce such policies by specifically requiring a judicial warrant for public schools to let immigration authorities into nonpublic areas, allow students to be questioned or disclose information about students and their families. 'Having ICE in our schools means that you'll have parents who will not want to send their kids to school at all,' Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener said in support of the bill. But some Republicans said the measure was 'injecting partisan immigration policies' into schools. 'We have yet to see a case in California where we have scary people in masks entering schools and ripping children away,' said state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil. 'Let's stop these fear tactics that do us an injustice.'
