MA Amendments Threaten Civil Liberties

Here are some of the basics on the amendments:

-This is a bill intended to punish people and business for interacting with undocumented people.

-It is limiting what we already do not have. Undocumented people do not have access to any state benefits other than low-income housing.

-Increased cost to state for background checks and verifying programs. 

-Increased red tape for all, more hurdles for documented and undocumented people. 

-Requiring businesses that work with the state to use some system (like E-verify) to verify paperwork, or the business will lose contract with government and be fined. (Verifying immigration status for employees is the federal government’s responsibility, not our state’s job.)

- Fining higher penalties for being caught with false documents, for example from $50 to $250 for ID’s

- Denying access to assisted housing programs for undocumented people (This would leave many U.S. citizen children and family members homeless and increase government spending on motels, shelters and housing in the future.)

-  Requiring stricter requirements for housing, social security and health benefits, documented or undocumented (This is redundant for undocumented peoples because they currently receive no social security, welfare nor food stamps, receive basic necessary health insurance and do not benefits in the federal housing projects and vouchers. This requirement would make receiving benefits for all, especially poor and lower income people, more difficult and stricter.)

- Creating an anonymous tip line to report suspicious people using false documents, business hiring undocumented people and people who are undocumented and mandating investigations of all no matter how uncredible the reports are. (This is a hateful part of the law, requiring neighbors to spy and report on neighbors, ex-partners, students and hearsay. This is putting the federal government’s job of immigration reform in the hands of the MA state investigators and in individuals’ hands which would bankrupt and use tax dollars to follow up on less than credible reports.

- Barring undocumented students from receiving In-State tuition. By blocking in-state tuition, more and more students will be forced to opt out of higher education because of high costs. They will not be able to contribute to society and will be forced to live a life in the shadows. (This is redundant since MA undocumented students do not receive In-State tuition but it would block the five years of work that the Student Immigrant Movement has done to push for In-State tuition for undocumented students.)

- Blocking limited and basic health care for undocumented people. (This is hateful and dangerous for the immigrant community as well as public health, creating barriers to basic health care for all, which is a human right, and therefore putting us all at risk for higher emergency costs, communal diseases and sicknesses.)