【中美创新时报2024 年 11 月 29日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）越来越多的马萨诸塞州“庇护”城市和城镇正在考虑加强对移民的保护，以防当选总统唐纳德·特朗普在返回白宫时实施驱逐数百万无证移民的威胁。倡导者担心马萨诸塞州可能会在学校、教堂和医院面临突袭。《波士顿环球报》记者约翰·希利亚德对此租了下述详细报道。
萨默维尔市议会周二收紧了一项限制与联邦移民当局合作的地方决议，纳蒂克的官员也在考虑采取类似措施。切尔西、剑桥、塞勒姆和伍斯特等地的领导人重申了保护居民的承诺。
“我们必须做好最坏的打算，”萨默维尔市议员威尔·姆巴说。“这项决议只是为了保护我们最脆弱的人免受伤害。”
庇护城市没有正式的法律定义，它已成为拒绝与联邦当局合作并仅根据移民身份拘留某人的社区的政治代名词。但一些地方官员和法律倡导者担心，在特朗普第二届政府执政期间，马萨诸塞州可能会面临更为激进的移民执法，以找到并驱逐据信居住在该州的 20 多万无证移民。
“我们预计，特朗普政府将特别针对马萨诸塞州，惩罚那些实施移民友好政策的城市和城镇，”民权律师组织执行董事伊万·埃斯皮诺萨-马德里加尔说。“我们还预计移民执法将大幅扩大。”
据移民法律倡导者称，这种扩张可能包括试图在学校、教堂、医院和家庭暴力中心等地方逮捕人员。
马萨诸塞州法律改革研究所高级移民律师 Heather Yountz 表示，她担心特朗普会使用行政命令切断对庇护城市的联邦资金，或撤销限制联邦移民在学校和紧急避难所等地方采取行动的“保护区”限制。
根据州选举数据，在上次选举中，特朗普在马萨诸塞州获得了 120 多万张选票，这是自 1984 年罗纳德·里根以来共和党总统候选人在该州获得的最多选票。其中有许多入籍公民，包括那些支持特朗普打击非法居住在该国的人的承诺的人。在采访中，这些选民提到了对大量移民家庭涌入美国的担忧，其中包括数千名抵达马萨诸塞州的人。
传统基金会的“2025 项目”报告概述了特朗普第二任期的保守议程，特别呼吁撤销“敏感区域”的“保护区”禁令。报告称，机构应依靠“现场官员的良好判断力来避免不适当的情况”。
“换句话说，移民家庭在学习、祈祷或试图保护自己免受虐待时将不再感到安全，”扬茨说。
尽管特朗普要到 1 月 20 日才重新上任，但马萨诸塞州社区已经出现了政治压力的迹象。
在波士顿市长米歇尔·吴表示地方当局不会帮助特朗普承诺的驱逐出境后，他的新任边境沙皇本月警告说要“滚开”。另外，帮助特朗普当选的亿万富翁埃隆·马斯克声称，马萨诸塞州的庇护城市“保护了儿童强奸犯”，此前，梅休因和大巴灵顿的三名非法移民被捕，他们分别面临针对儿童的刑事指控或定罪。
2025 项目还呼吁对实施庇护政策的司法管辖区采取“经济抑制措施”。特朗普与这份报告保持距离，但已挑选了部分设计者加入他的政府。
本周早些时候，《华盛顿邮报》报道称，特朗普的顾问正在制定计划，剥夺不配合他驱逐行动的城市的联邦资金。他第一任期内的类似行动被联邦法官阻止。
特朗普过渡团队的发言人没有回答问题。
马萨诸塞州提供旨在保护移民措施的城市和城镇名单还包括阿默斯特、阿灵顿、布鲁克莱恩、康科德、劳伦斯、牛顿、北安普顿和斯普林菲尔德。这些名称和规则有几种名称，如“欢迎城市”、“安全城市”或“信任法案”。
伍斯特没有书面的庇护政策，但在特朗普连任后，当地领导人承诺该市“永远不会根据移民身份针对个人”，一份声明称。
采取措施的城市的官员表示，他们不会阻止执法部门对面临刑事指控的人做出回应。
“需要明确的是，无论嫌疑人是谁，我们的警察一直与所有联邦机构就刑事案件进行协调，”萨默维尔市长 Katjana Ballantyne 在一份声明中表示。“我们的警察不会根据居民的移民身份拘留或分享他们的信息。”
一些庇护措施，例如剑桥和萨默维尔的措施，可以追溯到 1980 年代。移民镇压也早于特朗普：2013 年，民主党总统巴拉克·奥巴马监督了 432,000 起驱逐出境事件，这是有记录以来驱逐出境人数最多的一年。
但特朗普在 2016 年的政治崛起伴随着越来越多的仇外反移民言论和行动，这些言论和行动多年来不断升级——并导致更多社区宣布自己是庇护所。
马萨诸塞州移民和难民倡导联盟参谋长萨朗·塞卡瓦特指出，在乔治·W·布什政府期间，2007 年对新贝德福德一家纺织厂的移民突袭导致数百人被捕，导致许多家庭分离。
“这些城市实施此类保护措施是有原因的——我们不希望家庭生活在恐惧之中，”Sekhavat 说。
庇护社区的官员承诺支持移民居民。
切尔西于 2007 年成为庇护城市，并于 2017 年重申了这一地位，据一份声明称，官员们担心选举后联邦在移民、住房和医疗保健等领域的政策变化将如何影响其居民。
“话虽如此，无论谁入主白宫，切尔西市都将继续采取积极主动的方式支持我们的社区，”声明说。
剑桥发言人表示，该市“确认每个人的基本人权和尊严，并为剑桥所有居民提供教育、医疗和其他重要服务，无论他们的移民身份如何。”
根据该措施，在纳蒂克，当地官员上周开会考虑一项政策，禁止任何城镇雇员“因认为该人不合法居住在美国而拘留该人”。
马萨诸塞州为数千个移民家庭提供了紧急住房，州长莫拉·希利表示，州警察“绝对不会”参与大规模驱逐行动。
一些移民倡导者表示，反对特朗普的驱逐承诺可能会使该州成为加强移民执法的目标。他们还担心特朗普的驱逐威胁是否意味着移民将退出自己的社区。
“如果人们知道他们随时可能被逮捕，那对他们来说真的很可怕，”研究庇护城市运动的波士顿学院历史学教授玛丽莲·约翰逊说。“它传播了这种恐惧，让人们害怕与当地组织、公立学校和卫生部门接触。”
在萨默维尔，官员们于 1987 年首次通过了庇护城市决议，并多年来不断更新。最新变化增加了新条款，包括与州检察长和米德尔塞克斯地方检察官办公室合作，为受联邦移民政策影响的家庭提供支持。据市议员威利·伯恩利二世 (Willie Burnley Jr.) 称，这项工作包括确保联邦移民突击检查不会在学校、教堂、医院和法院进行。
伯恩利在议会的同事姆巴 (Mbah) 表示，由于移民问题存在如此多的不确定性，该市有责任支持其居民。
“我们必须确保我们是一个热情的社区，努力强调为我们的人口提供正义、公平和包容，这样他们就不会觉得自己只能自谋生路，”他说。
题图：2017 年在萨默维尔高中举行的集会，以表示对萨默维尔庇护城市指定的支持。Craig F. Walker/环球报工作人员
附原英文报道：
‘We’ve got to prepare for the worst’: State’s sanctuary cities vow to protect immigrants as Trump threatens mass deportations
Advocates fear Mass. could face raids in schools, churches, hospitals
By John Hilliard Globe Staff,Updated November 28, 2024
A 2017 rally at Somerville High School to show support for Somerville’s sanctuary city designation.Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
A growing number of Massachusetts “sanctuary” cities and towns are considering ways to shore up protections for immigrants before President-elect Donald Trump can carry out his threat to deport millions of undocumented people when he returns to the White House.
Somerville’s City Council on Tuesday tightened a local resolution that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and officials in Natick are considering a similar measure. Leaders in places such as Chelsea, Cambridge, Salem, and Worcester have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting residents.
“We’ve got to prepare for the worst,” Somerville City Councilor at Large Will Mbah said. “This resolution is just to protect our most vulnerable from harm.”
There is no formal legal definition of a sanctuary city, which has become political shorthand for communities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities and detain someone based solely on their immigration status. But some local officials and legal advocates worry that in a second Trump administration, Massachusetts could face far more aggressive immigration enforcement to find and deport more than 200,000 undocumented immigrants believed to live in the state.
“We anticipate that Massachusetts will be particularly targeted by the Trump administration to punish cities and towns for their immigrant-friendly policies,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director for Lawyers for Civil Rights. “We also expect that immigration enforcement will dramatically expand.”
That expansion could include trying to apprehend people in places such as schools, churches, hospitals, and domestic violence centers, according to legal advocates for immigrants.
Heather Yountz, a senior immigration staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, said she fears Trump will use executive orders to cut off federal funds to sanctuary cities, or rescind a “protected areas” restriction that limits federal immigration actions at places such as schools and emergency shelters.
In the last election, Trump secured more than 1.2 million votes in Massachusetts, the most a Republican candidate for president received in the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984, according to state election data. Many naturalized citizens were among them, including those who backed Trump’s promise to crack down on people living in the country without authorization. In interviews, those voters cited concerns like the influx of migrant families into the United States, including thousands who arrived in Massachusetts.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 report, which outlines a conservative agenda for Trump’s second term, specifically calls for rescinding “protected areas” prohibitions in “sensitive zones.” Agencies should rely on the “good judgment of officers in the field to avoid inappropriate situations,” the report said.
“In other words, immigrant families would no longer be able to feel safe while learning, praying, or attempting to protect themselves from an abuser,” Yountz said.
Even though Trump doesn’t retake office until Jan. 20, there are already signs of political pressure on Massachusetts communities.
After Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said local authorities wouldn’t help with Trump’s pledged deportations, his incoming border czar warned this month to get “the hell out of the way.” Separately, billionaire Elon Musk, who helped get Trump elected, claimed that Massachusetts sanctuary cities were “protecting child rapists” following arrests of three undocumented immigrants in Methuen and Great Barrington who faced separate criminal charges or convictions of sex offenses against children.
Project 2025 has also called for “financial disincentives” for jurisdictions that implement sanctuary policies. Trump has distanced himself from the report, but has picked some of its architects to serve in his administration.
And earlier this week The Washington Post reported that Trump’s advisers are drawing up plans to strip cities that do not cooperate with his deportation efforts of federal funding. A similar effort during his first term was blocked by a federal judge.
Spokespeople for the Trump transition team did not respond to questions.
The list of Massachusetts cities and towns that offer measures intended to protect immigrants also includes Amherst, Arlington, Brookline, Concord, Lawrence, Newton, Northampton, and Springfield. The designations and rules go by several names, like “Welcoming City,” or “Safe City,” or “Trust Act.”
Worcester doesn’t have a written sanctuary policy, but following Trump’s reelection, local leaders pledged the city “will never target individuals based on their immigration status,” according to a statement.
Officials in cities with measures in place say they do not prevent law enforcement from responding to someone who is facing criminal charges.
“To be clear, our police have always coordinated with all federal agencies on criminal cases no matter the suspect,” Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne said in a statement. “Our police will not detain or share information about residents based on their immigration status.”
A few of the sanctuary measures, such as those in Cambridge and Somerville, go back to the 1980s. Immigration crackdowns also precede Trump: It was President Barack Obama, a Democrat, who oversaw 432,000 deportations in 2013, the largest annual total of deportations on record.
But Trump’s political ascendance in 2016 came with increasingly xenophobic anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions that ramped up over the years — and led more communities to declare themselves sanctuaries.
Sarang Sekhavat, chief of staff for the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, noted that during the George W. Bush administration, a 2007 immigration raid at a New Bedford textile factory led to the arrests of hundreds of people, which caused many families to be separated.
“There’s a reason that these cities [have] put these kind of protections in — we don’t want families to be living in fear,” Sekhavat said.
Officials with sanctuary communities pledged to stand by their immigrant residents.
In Chelsea, which became a sanctuary city in 2007 and reaffirmed that status in 2017, officials were concerned about how changes in federal policies in areas such as immigration, housing, and health care following the election would impact their residents, according to a statement.
“With that said, regardless of who sits in the White House, the City of Chelsea will continue to take a proactive approach to supporting our community,” the statement said.
A Cambridge spokesperson said the city “affirms the basic human rights and dignity of every human being and provides education, health and other critical services to all residents of Cambridge, regardless of their immigration status.”
In Natick, local officials met last week to consider a policy that would forbid any town employee from detaining a person “on the belief that the person is not present legally in the United States,” according to the measure.
Massachusetts has provided emergency housing for thousands of migrant families, and Governor Maura Healey said State Police would “absolutely not” participate in mass deportations.
Some immigration advocates said opposition to Trump’s deportation pledge could make the state a target for greater immigration enforcement. And they also worry about whether Trump’s deportation threats will mean immigrants will withdraw from their own communities.
“It’s really terrifying for people if they know that they could be subject to arrest at any time,” said Marilynn Johnson, a Boston College professor of history who has studied the sanctuary city movement. “It spreads that fear, and makes people scared to engage with local organizations, public schools, and health departments.”
In Somerville, officials first passed their sanctuary city resolution in 1987 and have updated it over the years. The latest change adds new provisions, including partnering with the state attorney general and the Middlesex district attorney’s office to provide support for families affected by federal immigration policies. That work includes ensuring that federal immigration raids are not conducted at schools, churches, hospitals, and courthouses, according to City Councilor at Large Willie Burnley Jr.
Mbah, Burnley’s colleague on the council, said that with so much uncertainty around immigration, the city has a responsibility to stand by its residents.
“We have to make sure that we’re a welcoming community trying to emphasize justice, equity, and inclusion for our population, so they don’t feel like they’re left to fend for themselves,” he said.
