OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY
On Worcester, ICE, and the True Responsibility of Office
OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY
On Worcester, ICE, and the True Responsibility of Office
Governor Healey,
You once stood as a singular voice against the encroachments of federal power when others flinched. As Attorney General, you challenged ICE’s abuses and helped dismantle a 287(g) agreement that had turned Bristol County’s jail into an extension of a federal deportation regime. That record still speaks—but your silence now speaks louder.
What took place in Worcester was not just an ICE operation. It was a rupture—a woman taken without visible warrant, a 16-year-old child arrested while clutching a baby, and a police response that escalated into force. When asked to respond, you said:
“You can’t attack police.”
That may have been the most revealing sentence of the entire exchange made during the May 9, 2025 broadcast of Boston Public Radio, where you appeared for your regularly scheduled “As The Governor” segment. The comment came in response to a listener question about the ICE operation and ensuing police actions in Worcester. The statement, delivered in the midst of a broader pattern of federal overreach, was heard by thousands—and left many stunned.
No one attacked the police. But the system did attack that family—and the local police did, as you saw yourself, use excessive force against non-criminal individuals who were doing what was essentially supposed to be your responsibility: protecting the people under your watch. Regardless of their legal status, they should not have been violated by ICE agents, who in fact instigated the entire incident.
What’s more, the very system that enabled this violence is still operational. The 287(g) agreement between the Massachusetts Department of Correction and ICE remains in effect—signed in June 2020 under then-Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, during the final year of the Trump administration. At that time, you served as Attorney General, with no authority over the Department of Correction’s federal agreements—giving you the discretion to act according to conscience when you prosecuted Sheriff Thomas Hodgson for his department’s abuses under a similar ICE collaboration. But now, as Governor, you hold the authority directly. And with that authority comes the full burden of responsibility.
You spoke of Massachusetts as a place of refuge, of Lexington and Concord, of the resistance to tyranny. But that oath must live beyond symbols. It must exist in policy. And it must take form in action.
ICE does not operate today as a neutral immigration agency. It is the edge of a blade—shaped and sharpened by a regime that seeks to dissolve the very Republic you swore to protect. You say Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state. But who, then, will you protect? The law as it stands—or the people who stand under it?
The time for deferring to process has ended.
The time for executive distance has passed.
You are Governor of the Commonwealth.
That means the responsibility is now yours.
End the 287(g) agreement.
Name what is happening.
Do not look away again.
History will not.
With the clarity of the old country, and the burden of this one,
In the name of the living and the not yet lost,
Robert J. Rei
May 12, 2025
“Maura Healey taking gubernatorial oath of office in 2023” (Government of Massachusetts-Public Domain Image: used under editorial fair use for purposes of political commentary.)
Comments Policy:
In keeping with the public nature of this letter, the comments section is open to all readers. Respectful, thoughtful engagement is encouraged—whether in support, critique, or inquiry. Inappropriate, abusive, or off-topic remarks will be deleted, and offending commenters will be banned. This is a space for civic discourse, not disruption.
Well done! I commend you. There is still no word on where this woman was taken. There was no verification the men were in fact federally authorized ICE agents. Metal badges were not visible in the photos. The police never asked for or verified identification. Where is this woman? Is she disappeared? Was she murdered and dismembered? According to the HuffPost there are criminals cosplaying as ICE committing crimes such as armed burglary, home invasion, holding a gun to a babies head and rape. Very good reason for the local police to be required to verify the identity of any person attempting to take a citizen, immigrant, or non citizen away. Especially when the men in question take the person away without due process in an unmarked personal vehicle.
As always Robert, your words speak with clarity and to the point! Stay the course. America appreciates your advocacy.