Immigration and Public Safety

Immigration

The shelter crisis in Massachusetts is completely out of control. Currently we have the shelter system completely taken over by non residents, last update was over 50% of people seeking shelter are undocumented immigrants. This is completely unsustainable. If you have not heard there have been immigrants living in Logan Airport, taken over a local Recreation Center in Roxbury, dropped off at hotels across the Commonwealth and burdening our public school systems. Change is needed immediately!

1. Shut off the flow by amending the Right to Shelter Law. There is Bipartisan support to amend the law to create a residency requirement. This would immediately help our public resources be used to house Massachusetts residents who fall on hard times who have paid in to our social systems for years.

2. Create a mandatory partnership framework for the state and municipalities. The days of the State burdening our towns MUST END. We cannot suddenly place children in school systems that have not prepared and ask that much of our hardworking school personnel without due notice. It is an economic and educational burden that hurts our kids.

I fear where this crisis is leading us. What is next? Could schools be closed on an emergency basis plunging our kids back to ineffective remote learning to house immigrants  (as is happening in NYC)? Could the state seize our local community centers or other public buildings (similar to what has happened in Roxbury)? We need to fix this crisis NOW!

First Responders

Brave men and women in District 6 get up early every day, working overtime shifts, missing times with family and loved ones -- to keep us safe from harm and help us sleep soundly at night. As state representative, my promise to you is to help our first responders by working on the following:

1. Assure that departments are fully funded as we continue to recover from the pandemic without putting undue burden on municipalities and taxpayers.

We have seen in small towns across the commonwealth that taxpayers must choose between losing essential services or dramatically raising taxes. I believe that no municipality should have to choose between the two. We saw in January of 2024 that three of our towns lost funding to their Fire Departments due to emergency budget cuts. This is reckless and inexcusable. The safety of our communities cannot be negatively changed on the whims of the Governor and that funding must be secured.

Communities like ours are also particularly susceptible to increasingly dangerous drug epidemics hitting our nation. We must assure that our paramedics have the resources needed to complete adequate training and be supplied with up to date treatments to save the lives of the children in our community that are too often suffering from drug dependence.

2. Address key issues with the Police Reform Act of 2020, formally known as the  "Act Relative to Justice, Equity, and Accountability in Law Enforcement in the Commonwealth".  There is a great burden on our Police agencies to maintain accreditation and certification. The multiple agencies (POST and MPAC) regulation law enforcement needs to be clarified to reel in a lengthy and expensive process.

I commit to revising the composition of the POST board, which the Act established as a majority civilian board to de-certify police officers. This civilian board's decertification process could strip officers of their qualified immunity, opening them up to personal liability in cases where they acted justly. How can we ask officers to keep us safe if they believe they could be liable for doing the right thing?

As I mentioned, I am deeply appreciative of police and our first responders, many of whom I have the pleasure of calling family and friends. I also served as a forensic scientist for four years, and understand the processes and challenges police face as I worked alongside them towards justice.