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Somerville rep. follows Minneapolis mayor’s lead in telling ICE to ‘get the f— out’
Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven called on her colleagues to pass legislation that would rein in ICE in a number of ways.
As outrage grows in response to the ICE crackdown in Minnesota, a Massachusetts state representative released a video this week echoing some of the expletive-laden rhetoric used by leaders there.
State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, a Democrat from Somerville, delivered a forceful renunciation of ICE in a video she posted to social media Wednesday.
“We need to get ICE the f— out of Massachusetts,” she said in the video.
Uyterhoeven’s language is reminiscent of how Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called for ICE to “get the f— out of” his city in the immediate aftermath of the killing of Renee Good.
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Federal officers have surged into Minneapolis this month in an operation purportedly targeted at immigration enforcement and fraud. But reports of abuse and other unlawful actions are rampant, with residents regularly documenting alleged instances of racial profiling and unnecessary force on unarmed protesters and other citizens.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration maintains that Good was a “domestic terrorist,” and that the actions of the ICE agent who shot her were justified. Videos from the shooting directly contradict the administration’s claims.
In Massachusetts, reports circulated this week of a large shipment of vehicles being delivered to an ICE facility in Burlington, raising fears about a possible escalation in and around Boston.
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It is in this context that Uyterhoeven called on state leaders to take new actions that would rein in ICE.
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“The Massachusetts State House needs to be doing everything it can to stop ICE from killing, abducting, detaining, and deporting our neighbors,” she said.
Speaking as protests were ongoing in Boston Common, Uyterhoeven advocated for the passage of legislation that would prevent ICE from being able to deputize local law enforcement officers to act as federal immigration agents.
Immigrant advocates have been pushing for lawmakers to pass the Safe Communities Act since 2017. The bill would limit how officials can question people about their immigration status, require that authorities require consent before a person in custody is questioned by ICE, bar officials from contacting ICE about a person’s impending release from custody, and prohibit the agreements that allow for the deputization of local officers.
Uyterhoeven went on to criticize the “surveillance state” that allows federal authorities to get personal information from residents.
“Right now, anyone can buy your geolocation data, and ICE has been doing just that,” she said.
Finally, Uyterhoeven said that Massachusetts lawmakers need to be unafraid of holding ICE agents accountable if they break the law.
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“Federal agents do not have absolute immunity from state prosecution. ICE has not been held accountable, and we need to strengthen our Massachusetts state laws now,” she said.
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