Letter to the editor: Do we want Sanctuary Cities/States?

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To the Editor:

Massachusetts Middlesex and Worcester District State Senator Jamie Eldridge has presented Senate bill S.1305 (docket #HD.3052) called an “Act to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents.”  The key word is “residents”; unfortunately it does not protect the “citizens” of this state. By the way, it does not protect all residents either.

Our elected officials (including Jamie) have taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and the citizens of the state and country. To present this bill is a breach of this oath. When it comes to safety there is no room for politics and a law that prohibits our local officials from following Federal laws that protect all US “citizens.”

If we are truly a nation of laws, cities and states cannot choose which laws to obey or write laws that prevent the enforcement of existing laws. Can you imagine if all the cities and towns in Mass chose which laws to enforce or ignore without recrimination?  To immigrate to this country without authorization is against the law. Looking the other way and allowing illegal immigration puts us all at risk. Illegals can bring back diseases like TB, measles and others that we have virtually eliminated in this country. Illegal immigrants can easily bring in drugs like opioids that are killing millions of our kids. Not to mention the risk of criminal gangs causing havoc in our cities and towns.

Sanctuary cities in Massachusetts will make us a bigger magnet for illegal immigrants who will do little to expand our economy and lower our standard of living.

The MA legislators, including Jamie, lost this cause with a previous act called “Secure Communities”; if you truly care about civil rights and safety of Massachusetts citizens call and/or write you legislators to oppose this proposal.

Vincent Picarello

Hudson

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