The deployment of the militarized US Border Patrol Tactical Unit — modeled on US Special Forces and SWAT teams — to Boston and other cities that refuse to collaborate with the Trump administration’s deportation machine is a dangerous attempt to intimidate local leaders who dare to stand up to tyranny. In response, Massachusetts lawmakers of all political stripes should stand together in defense of democracy and against presidential bullying.
President Trump has long invoked his hatred for immigrants, people of color, and diverse communities to shore up his political base, and he is likely to do so with increasing frequency in this election year. Local officials have rightfully condemned the most recent move. And while this is not the first time that the president has used national security as a pretext for naked aggression against his political foes, it is among the most disturbing.
Deploying these “specifically trained officers” against civilian populations threatens the safety of Massachusetts communities. Deploying paramilitary units to roam our neighborhoods heightens the risk of violence against unarmed civilians. If federal tactical teams treat Boston as a war zone, innocent people will get hurt. Stepped-up raids by immigration officers also undermine public safety by deterring people in mixed-status families from reporting crimes like domestic abuse or in aiding investigations, for fear that immigration agents will snatch them or their loved ones. This doesn’t hurt only immigrants: All Massachusetts residents suffer when the federal government deploys militarized tactical units to cities and states simply because they don’t support this president’s political agenda. Doing so clearly undermines justice and the rule of law.
ICE’s acting director, Matthew Albence, claims, contrary to evidence, that Boston is lawless and dangerous because Boston police lawfully refuse to lock up people who have committed no crime, based solely on the whims of ICE agents. If Albence is concerned about public safety, he would do well to examine the actions of his colleagues in ICE and Border Patrol before his department lectures Boston police.
He could start with the Border Patrol agent who in 2010 shot and killed a 15-year-old boy who was playing on the Mexican side of the border; or with the ICE agent who shot a man in the face in New York earlier this month; or with the abysmal conditions in Albence’s own detention facilities; or with years of alleged child abuse by Customs and Border Protection guards. Albence and his colleagues could explain why so many people die in CBP custody and why countless complaints of human rights abuses by CBP officials remain unanswered. And if he cares about the rule of law, Albence should explain why he’s still acting as head of a federal agency without having received Senate confirmation, as the law requires.
Make no mistake: The president and his administration are using the power of the federal government to frighten their political opponents in Massachusetts. It also is a poorly veiled attempt to suppress census participation and damage our democracy. As Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey noted in a recent letter, the timeline of this threatened deployment overlaps almost exactly with the census which, given the administration’s blatant past efforts to sabotage that process, is hardly coincidental.
Massachusetts leaders must stand up to Trump’s bullying by passing laws to defend all Massachusetts residents. As Mayor Marty Walsh says, Boston is one of the safest cities in the country. We need to maintain and grow that sense of safety by instilling trust in local law enforcement to keep all of us safe. That means allowing crime victims to come forward regardless of their immigration status; it means allowing all drivers to get the proper licensing and insurance; and it means ending wasteful and counterproductive programs that deputize local officials as federal immigration agents.
In the face of Trump’s wanton and reckless targeting of Massachusetts residents, we need strong state and local leadership. Governor Baker, state lawmakers, and mayors must pass strong laws to defend Massachusetts residents and values. Failure to act is to bow to the dangerous whims of a wanna-be tyrant.
Carol Rose is the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts.