Healey walks a tightrope on immigration
For now, finding that way in Massachusetts means trying to retro-fit policy to where the public is. According to the Times report, embracing the push to decriminalize illegal border crossings was a 'leftward policy shift' that 'many prominent Democratic lawmakers and strategists now say they deeply regret.' Healey has not publicly said exactly that. But she has gone from eagerly suing the first Trump administration over its anti-immigration policies to telling the Times last March that when it comes to the migrant crisis,
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For Healey,
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When it comes to immigration policy, Healey has been under pressure from potential challengers Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve. O
Both Republicans, who held top positions in the administration of former governor Charlie Baker, have abandoned Baker's sensible take on the nation's immigration crisis. When Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida chartered two flights to send some 49 migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in September 2022, Baker, who was governor at the time, said, 'Washington needs to do its job, and its job is to come up with an immigration policy that's enforceable, that works, and that people understand.'
True that. But it never happened, and it seems even less likely to happen during the Trump era, when being in the country illegally is reason in itself for his administration to deport someone. Without the numbers of lawmakers needed in Congress to try to challenge the policy, what can Democrats like Healey do besides try to figure out where the public draws the line?
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In April, about two-thirds of respondents to
That would explain why Healey limited hotel shelter stays for migrant families.
Yet when it comes to the Trump administration's commitment to mass deportations, some national polls show that Americans think ICE has
That sentiment explains why Healey
Will Healey's latest balancing act on immigration end attacks from Trump world? Of course not.
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But she is betting that cutting off the flow of taxpayer dollars to migrants, while speaking out against draconian deportation policy, will be safe middle ground. Which says a lot about Massachusetts, doesn't it?
Talk, after all, is cheap. And, as we now know, putting money behind the rhetoric of welcoming immigrants is not.
Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
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