Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said she will defy Donald Trump’s expected mass deportation order targeting millions of illegal immigrants.
Healey, 53, emphasized during an interview with MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell that the Massachusetts State Police would “absolutely not” assist the Trump administration’s planned deportations.
“I think it’s important that we all recognize that there’s going to be a lot of pressure on states and state officials,” she added. ‘And I can assure you: we are going to work very hard to make it happen.’
The lawmaker’s position drew criticism as critics pointed out that Healey has previously complained about the migrant crisis that has crippled her state’s finances, which is expected to cost more than $1 billion annually.
She told WCVB in May that the border crisis is “the result of federal inaction.” Healey once supported sanctuary cities that offer migrants better protection from arrest. But she ordered border crossings to stop traveling into the Bay State after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began transporting thousands of people from border cities.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said she will defy Donald Trump’s expected mass deportation order during an interview with MSNBC
Trump has made tackling immigration a central pillar of his 2024 election campaign and has said he plans to carry out the largest mass deportation in US history of more than 15 million people.
Immigration has become a controversial issue in Massachusetts after it was flooded with tens of thousands of migrants during the Biden administration, and the reliably Democratic state hosted several “Close the Border” rallies this year.
Trump held several rallies in the reliably Democratic state focused on his deportation plans.
In her appearance on MSNBC, Healey said she plans to use every “tool” at her disposal to fight Trump’s immigration policies.
“I think the key here is that every tool in the toolbox must be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and our states, and certainly to uphold democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle. she said.
People hold signs and flags during a ‘Close the Border’ rally in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 4, 2024
Healey previously served as attorney general of Massachusetts and challenged several of Trump’s orders during his first administration.
But the governor, while conceding there is now a “different situation in the courts” that could make it harder for state officials to defy Trump, said there are “other ways” to challenge him.
“Some realities also need to be noted. And that is, in 2016 we had a very different situation in the courts,” she said.
“And while I’m sure there may be lawsuits, there are many other ways in which people will and should act in the best interests of their states and their residents.”
Healey said these other channels include state legislation, “executive powers” and “regulatory authority.”
Massachusetts has been overrun by tens of thousands of migrants, seen at a shelter in Chelsea, Massachusetts, during the Biden administration
Healey seen with Vice President Kamala Harris at a meeting in November 2022
The comments sparked outrage from conservative opponents of Healey, with Amy Carnevale, chair of the Republican Party in Massachusetts, calling her a “hypocrite” over her previous position on handling the migrant crisis.
“Governor Healey has chosen to indulge in apparent political showmanship rather than work to build bridges for the benefit of the people of Massachusetts,” Carnevale told the Boston Herald.
“What is most striking about the governor’s recent statement is the blatant hypocrisy.
“She has blamed the federal government for the migrant crisis in Massachusetts, but now that we have a newly elected president ready to tackle the immigration crisis with action, she is returning.”
Carnevale referenced Healey’s comments to WCVB in May, labeling the migrant crisis a “federal problem.”
Healey said at the time: “Remember that the number of immigrants we are seeing – in Massachusetts and other states – across the border is the result of federal inaction.
‘Weeks ago an agreement was on the table between both parties. The Republicans in Congress put an end to this after Donald Trump said there was no immigration agreement.’