Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy is vowing to protect illegal immigrants in her state from President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed mass deportation operation.
"If the Trump administration requests it, would the Massachusetts State Police assist in mass deportations?" MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell asked the Democrat governor during an interview.
“No, absolutely not,” she replied. "I do think it's important that we all recognize that there's going to be a lot of pressure on states and state officials, and I can assure you, we're going to work really hard to deliver," she said.
“While I'm sure there may be litigation ahead, there's a lot of other ways that people are going to act and need to act for the sake of their states and their residents," she said. "There's regulatory authority and executive powers and the like…
"I think that the key here is that, you know, every tool in the toolbox has gotta be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents, and protect our states. And certainly, hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle.”
🇺🇸Massachusetts Governor to Form COUP Against Donald Trump
— Sam Mitha (@MithaEXP) November 7, 2024
Maura Healey claims she WILL NOT obey Presidential Orders from Donald Trump to assist in The Removal of Illegal Aliens.
You’ve just admitted to a Felony on Television. Congratulations.
This will be used against you… pic.twitter.com/bSPxriFC5m
Trump has vowed to make the deportation of illegal immigrants a ‘Day One’ issue.
“We have no choice,” he told Newsmax host Chris Salcedo in March. “And we’ll start with the bad ones. And you know who knows who they are: local police. Local police have to be given back their authority, and they have to be given back their respect and immunity. We’re going to give them immunity.”
The president-elect faces an uphill battle, however, as his mass deportation plan will likely face resistance from Democrat governors across the U.S.
"Several Democratic states and localities have so-called sanctuary policies, meaning that their police will not cooperate with federal immigration officials to turn over immigrants accused of crimes," Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law practice at Cornell University, told Newsweek. "Such cities and states may use those policies to prevent mass arrests."
Trump's first administration "threatened to deprive so-called sanctuary jurisdictions of federal funding if they failed to cooperate with immigration agents," he added. "States and cities fought back, tying up the Trump administration's efforts in litigation. With more conservative judges now, it is unclear whether such lawsuits will succeed again."