Mass. House advances 'Protect Act' to limit civil immigration arrests in courthouses

The Massachusetts House debated and advanced H.5305, known as the Protect Act, on a motion to pass the bill to be engrossed following a series of floor speeches and votes. Supporters said the bill draws a constitutional line between federal civil immigration enforcement and state and local duties while adding procedural protections for courthouses, detainees and victims.

Chair of the House public safety committee, Mister Cahill, introduced the bill and summarized its key provisions, saying it "assures that Massachusetts will not volunteer" state or local officers for civil immigration enforcement and that it would bar ICE civil arrests inside courthouses without a judicial warrant. Cahill cited statistics included in a letter from the chief justice of the trial court that, he said, showed "at least 614 arrests inside our courthouses" in 2025 and "137" so far in 2026 and argued those actions disrupt victims, witnesses and court processes.

Representative Garcia of Chelsea, invoking a constituent story, urged passage on humanitarian and public-safety grounds and said the bill "is about restoring that trust." Other backers, including Representatives Chan and Winn, emphasized demographic context, language-access provisions, and expedited U and T visa certification timelines. An adopted amendment requires law enforcement agencies to certify certain U visa applications within 14 days when a family member is at risk of aging out; another provision reduces a certification timeline noted in debate from 90 days to 45 days with a 14-day expedited option for urgent cases.

Opponents and some amendment sponsors raised concerns about statutory conflicts and operational impacts. Several amendments were offered and defeated on the floor; amendment number 13 (expedited U visa certification for aging-out family members) was adopted on roll call (the tally displayed 150 yes, 3 no). Other amendment attempts to change the bill's courthouse procedures or to strike sections were rejected during floor votes.

On the final roll call reported on the floor, the House passed H.5305 to be engrossed by a vote of 134 in the affirmative and 21 in the negative. The clerk recorded the tally and the bill was ordered to be engrossed for further action.

What the bill does and does not
H.5305 limits state and local involvement in civil immigration enforcement and prohibits arrests in courthouses for civil immigration matters without a judicial warrant or court order, while preserving state cooperation on criminal matters and judicial warrants. The measure also adds requirements for detainee intake rights, language access, expedited certification of certain U/T visas, and a 48-hour written notice requirement to employees when federal I-9 audits or workplace inspections are imminent.

Next steps
The House passed the measure to be engrossed; the bill will proceed in the legislative process for enrollment and further consideration (the clerk recorded the passage to be engrossed on the floor).