STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A LONG-DEBATED PROPOSAL to expand driver’s license access to undocumented immigrants took a major step toward becoming law on Thursday, clearing the Senate with a strong enough margin to overcome the prospect of Gov. Charlie Baker’s formal opposition. Senators voted 32-8 in favor of the controversial reform, which has drawn skepticism […]
Immigration
Posted inCriminal Justice
What finally put undocumented immigrant driver’s license bill in play?
THE FIRST TIME a bill was proposed in Massachusetts to let immigrants without legal status obtain a driver’s license was in 2003. Since then, bills have regularly been introduced, languished in committee, and quietly been disposed of. In February, the Massachusetts House for the first time passed a bill that would let this population get […]
Posted inOpinion
Massachusetts citizenship and the importance of state power
WHEN THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, and the federal government failed, we quickly learned how much it mattered that we all lived in Massachusetts. Two years of state-by-state comparisons in suffering, death, vaccination, and recovery showed us that for the first time in hundreds of years, your life depended more on your state identity than your national […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker not satisfied with immigrant license bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER wouldn’t say on Thursday whether he intends to veto an immigrant license bill if it reaches his desk, but he appeared to dispute a lead sponsor’s contention that the bill as passed by the House satisfies the governor’s concerns about the legislation. The House on Wednesday voted 120-36 — a veto-proof margin […]
Posted inTransportation
Immigrant license bill clears House by veto-proof margin
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE PASSED legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts, a move advocates say would make roads safer for all motorists and opponents argue rewards people for entering the country illegally. On a 120-36 vote, the House advanced the bill to the […]
Posted inTransportation
License bill heads to House floor on 14-3 vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT session, a legislative committee advanced legislation with 14 votes in favor that would allow undocumented immigrants to acquire driver’s licenses. This time, the bill appears certain to proceed beyond the committee stage to a vote in at least one chamber. A day after House Speaker Ronald Mariano […]
Posted inTransportation
Mariano pushing driver’s license bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano intends next week to bring to the floor of the House a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, potentially setting up an election year vote on a divisive issue that has been pushed for years by immigrant advocates. House leaders said Thursday they […]
Posted inOpinion
RMV process for checking immigration status is deficient
ONLY RESIDENTS with lawful immigration status may apply for a Massachusetts driver’s license. Yet even immigrants who are lawfully present face problems verifying their immigration status to the satisfaction of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. The process the RMV uses to verify an applicant’s immigration status is fraught with frustration, delays, inconsistent results, multiple […]
Posted inUncategorized
Budget provision sets standard on visa document
THE BUDGET SIGNED by Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday includes a provision creating statewide standards for immigrant domestic violence and human trafficking survivors who are seeking documentation for certain visas. The provision, initially filed by Sen. Mark Montigny of New Bedford and Reps. Tram Nguyen of Andover and Patricia Haddad of Somerset, requires state agencies […]
Posted inUncategorized
ICE terminates detention contract with Bristol sheriff
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION has terminated its contract with Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson to run an immigration detention center, citing the facility’s “unacceptable” conditions for detainees. US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in a memo to Tae Johnson, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that he is ordering the termination of agreements with the immigration […]