Somerville city leaders are taking steps to both inform and protect vulnerable resident populations and let them know that they stand with them.

By Harry Kane

Many residents in Somerville expressed concerns regarding President Donald Trump’s order to target undocumented immigrants, and while federal authorities are cracking down on high-risk individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety in sanctuary cities, the new policy raises the specter of persistent raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who have been tasked with implementing the presidential mass deportation directive amid a slew of executive orders.

In response to these enhanced targeting operations, Somerville City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin placed an order during the January 23 city council meeting for the immigrant affairs director at SomerViva to update the public health and public safety committee to address immigrant rights and coordinate programming that can assist residents.

“While we are deeply concerned about potential federal overreach and its impact on families and our economy, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the lawful and constitutional rights of all who call our city home,” said Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne in a written statement.

The Trump administration’s mass deportation policy targets immigrants nationwide who cannot prove they have been in the country continuously for two years or more, according to a press release on the American Civil Liberties Union website on January 22.

Somerville has been a sanctuary city since 1987, and their resolution protects foreign-born residents, which accounts for over 20 percent of the city’s population. In November of last year, the City Council approved a resolution reconfirming the sanctuary city status.

The city is taking proactive steps to assist residents in anticipation of increased immigration enforcement by the federal government by hosting “Know Your Rights” sessions for community members and businesses to learn their legal protections.

The Trump administration has deputized agents from other parts of the U.S. Department of Justice to “to help identify and apprehend” illegal aliens for mass deportations, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are also doing the grim work of helping families create contingency plans for guardianship so that they can work to safeguard their children and assets in the event a parent or guardian is deported,” said a spokesperson for the City of Somerville.

Officials say strengthening economic and social support systems to mitigate the potential impact of increased immigration enforcement may address potential economic downturns caused by large-scale deportations.

“The city opposes mass deportations due to the expected national economic and social harms,” said Mayor Ballantyne. “We are deeply concerned that mass deportation will drive up food and other costs, drain funds from other national needs, and endanger people who fled violence and crises at home.”

Immigration law enforcement is not a local police function in Somerville, and while SPD will cooperate with federal agencies on criminal cases, immigration-related enforcement is excluded from local policing duties, according to the city.

“This separation allows our officers to focus on protecting public safety without undermining trust within our immigrant communities,” said a spokesperson for the City of Somerville.

At the City Council meeting on January 23, City Councilor McLaughlin said, “I don’t think people anticipated the speed and ferocity of how this was going to happen.”

Councilor McLaughin described the sudden onset of ICE agents who have been spotted in places like supermarkets, and the “threats” of ICE agents entering churches and schools to search for undocumented individuals.

“There’s real fear out there in the community,” Councilor McLaughlin said. “It’s intentionally making people afraid to go about their day-to-day lives.”

Councilor McLaughlin explained that immigrants have rights and are protected under the U.S. Constitution regardless of their status.

President Trump’s executive orders to end birthright citizenship, allow ICE to enter schools and churches and punish cities that do not assist in his agenda is concerning, he explained.

“Now the rules have completely changed; we don’t know what is true and what’s not anymore, and if the president can just do whatever he wants,” Councilor McLaughlin said.

SomerViva has provided a packet of “Know Your Rights” resources and a “Know Your Rights” webinar presentation session that helps Somerville residents understand immigration rights, which can be found on their website.

Having your rights card in your wallet if stopped by police or immigration, and choosing to “remain silent” is alright, explained Jessica Kiko, director of training at the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, in the webinar session.

The sessions help inform people of their rights, changes to the law, information on how to access legal services, and offer support for emergency planning, such as establishing legal guardianship should a parent be deported. These sessions are being held at multiple places and in multiple languages in coordination with area partners, according to the city.

“If you have submitted an asylum application, you cannot be deported until after an immigration judge has reviewed your application. And even then, if the immigration judge doesn’t grant it, you have the right to file a timely appeal, and you cannot be deported while that initial appeal is pending,” Kiko said in the webinar session.

The ACLU has sued the Trump administration over their “fast-track deportations” policy without fair legal process, according to a press release from January 22.

“People living in communities all across the United States are at risk of being separated from their families and expelled from the country with no legal recourse. This is an attack on communities, our Constitution, and fundamental American values,” said Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.

City Councilor Judy Pineda Neufeld relayed a story of how students were afraid to leave the high school after seeing an unmarked van.

“This is happening today in our communities. Our youth are afraid,” said Councilor Neufeld at the city council meeting.

Public schools in Somerville do not ask for families’ immigration status, do not coordinate with ICE, do not allow ICE agents access into facilities without a criminal judicial warrant signed by a judge and do not share student records with ICE without a parent/guardian consent or court order issued by a judge, explained Councilor Neufeld.

“It’s really important for folks to know their rights,” said Councilor Neufeld.

“At Somerville Public Schools, we are deeply committed to supporting all of our immigrant students and families,” said Superintendent of Somerville Public Schools Rubén D. Carmona in a January 23 email to SPS families.

City Councilor Jesse Clingan said that some residents he heard from are “panicked.”

“We are all in this together,” he said. “I think it’s really important now more than ever that we band together and let our immigrant brothers and sisters know that we stand with them.”