Press Advisory: Tomorrow Immigrant Community Hold a Vigil to Reject Alabama-Style Bill in Massachusetts

8:34 AM |

Media Contacts:

Nataly Castaño- Student immigrant Movement (978) 902 0882

Patricia Montes- Centro Presente (617) 959 3108

Immigrant Community Hold a Vigil to Reject Alabama-Style Bill in Massachusetts

What: Vigil

When: Tuesday, March, 20th, 6:00 PM

Where: Front Stairs of the MA State House

Who: Members of the immigrant community and its allies

Boston, MA- Immigrant Community Rejects Alabama-Style Bill in Massachusetts. S. 2061 is a bill under review in the Massachusetts State House that seeks to criminalize immigrants families in the Commonwealth and deny essential services to hardworking, taxpaying families.

“At the initial hearing for this bill we worked with our allies to mobilize immigrant students and their families to provide testimony about the terrible impacts of this bill on their lives,” said Conrado Santos a member of the Student Immigrant Movement. “We will continue to speak out against this misleading and prejudiced legislation.”

Under the guise of enhancing public safety the bill would facilitate the implementation of the controversial federal Secure Communities program in the Bay State and enact additional measures designed to isolate immigrant families from housing, education and legal protections. While targeting undocumented immigrants the bill would also severely affect documented immigrants and citizens in its implementation against mixed status families.

“We are coming together as a community to fight this threat to the well being of our families,” declared Patricia Montes, Centro Presente’s Executive Director. “Alabama-style bills have no place in Massachusetts, the landing place of so many generations of this nation’s immigrants. What is different for the new generations? They want a better life for their families, peace, a stable community and a fair and just legal system. Legislation like this implies otherwise and we will be at the State House Tuesday night to refute this.”