BOSTON – The immigrant/undocumented community has asked the state legislature for years to pass two bills, and the Democrat-controlled legislature has failed to respond.

The Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) is proud to stand with the immigrant community in defense of their human rights. We ask our members and friends to contact their state legislators in support of two important bills.

To contact your State Representative and State Senator, https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

1. The Safe Communities Act (H. 3573 and S.1401; these numbers may have changed, use title)

Key features of the Act:

Bars law enforcement and court personnel from asking people about their status unless required by law.

Before ICE questions someone in local custody, police must obtain their consent using a form that explains their right to decline an interview or have their own attorney present.

Bars police, court officers and jail officials from notifying ICE that someone is about to be released.

Ends contracts with ICE that allow state and county personnel to act as federal immigration agents, at state taxpayers’ expense.

Requires law enforcement agencies to train their personnel about this law, and if there is an alleged violation, people can file a complaint with the relevant agency or the Attorney General.

2. The Work and Family Mobility Act (H.3012 and S.2061; these numbers may have changed, use title). (Drivers License Campaign) 

A driver’s license is fundamentally a tool of public safety. It requires that all drivers receive training, pass a driver’s test, get their vision checked, and know the rules of the road. It also allows cars to get insured, providing more safety checks and resources. That’s why everyone who needs to drive on our roads should be licensed. It means better drivers and safer roads—for everyone who uses them.

In our cities and towns are people who we need to get licenses — and would get licenses, if they could. These are hard workers that many industries and employers rely on. They are parents who depend on carpools to get their kids to school or themselves to work. They are college graduates whose visas expired and can no longer hold a license. They are our neighbors who started new lives here after fleeing natural disasters, and are worried about when their Temporary Protected Status will end and their ability to drive will be taken away. They are the countless mothers and fathers whose American-born children will never have to face this barrier.

These two bills are the major legislative priorities of the immigrant/undocumented community. Our party is proud to stand with this oppressed community and asks you to contact your state Senator and Representative for their support.

Thanks,
Maha Gray and Charlene DiCalogero
Co-chairs, Green-Rainbow Party
http://www.green-rainbow.org/