President-elect Donald Trump has promised to seek retribution against political opponents and journalists, deploy federal law enforcement to shut down protests, and carry out mass deportations.
For the past year, the American Civil Liberties Union has focused on how to mitigate the worst impacts to civil liberties if any of those actions are taken.
“The ACLU takes him at his word,” Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, told Boston Public Radio Thursday.
One result of their work is the Firewalls for Freedom campaign, a playbook for Massachusetts leaders to shore up barriers — or “firewalls” — at the state and local levels that protect people’s rights.
That includes dealing with federal or out-of-state law enforcement agencies who may try to enforce national deportation mandates, for example. If the president tries to get local police officers to collaborate in a mass deportation action, Rose said it’s up to state and city leaders to not comply if they are not legally obligated to do so.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has already said the city’s police would not have to participate because of the Boston Trust Act, which prevents Boston police officers from asking people about their immigration status, sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or making arrests based solely on ICE warrants.
The state can also strengthen access to healthcare services like abortion, birth control and gender-affirming care, Rose said, by enforcing its shield law that protects providers and patients from out-of-state investigations and legal actions. The attorney general can provide guidance and training for police and trial courts on these protections, according to the ACLU’s website.
The ACLU is also focused on protecting people’s personal data from surveillance by data brokers, bounty hunters or federal prosecutors who might track people from other states seeking abortions. The Location Shield Act ( H.357) will be considered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2025. It would ban the sale of cellphone location information. Rose called it a “commonsense” bill and encouraged people to call their legislators to pass it.
“That’s one of the most important things that we could do as a firewall for freedom,” she said.
Rose also said it’s important for people to organize.
“There’s security and safety and strength in numbers,” she said. “So we need to stick together and not turn against each other. And not let fear dictate, but rather get involved and get engaged.”
