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Donald Trump is on his way back to the White House following his decisive win Tuesday, and his sweeping campaign promises could yield some big impacts in Massachusetts.
For one thing, there’s no love lost between Trump and Gov. Maura Healey, who took the first Trump administration to court 96 times during her tenure as state attorney general (and won in 77% of those cases, per The Boston Globe). Likewise, current Attorney General Andrea Campbell said her office is ready to pounce.
Trump’s vows to overhaul education and reshape health care hit home for Massachusetts, which prides itself on being a national leader in both sectors. His mass deportation plans could devastate some communities in the Bay State, where 18.1% of residents were born in another country.
Here’s a (non-exhaustive) roundup of five areas where Trump’s policies could impact Massachusetts.
Trump has promised to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.” His hardline approach focuses largely on the U.S.-Mexico border, with vows to strengthen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and increase penalties for illegal border crossings and overstayed visas. And that could have serious impacts in Massachusetts, which had about 325,000 unauthorized immigrants as of 2022, per Pew Research Center data.
The ongoing migrant crisis has become a hot-button issue in Massachusetts in recent years, with frequent battles over shelters and other forms of state aid. Immigration policies were also a key issue in the lawsuits Healey filed or joined against the federal government as AG.
Trump is likely to face more legal challenges this time around, and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition has vowed to “fight against xenophobic policies and rhetoric.”
“Policies such as carrying out mass deportations, revoking humanitarian parole programs, and ending Temporary Protected Status are unjust and un-American,” Executive Director Elizabeth Sweet said in a statement Wednesday. “MIRA will not stand by quietly while our immigrant communities are under attack. We will tirelessly work to protect our immigrant population, and their right to due process here in Massachusetts and across the country.”
Also prepared is Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights, which filed a class action lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others on behalf of a group of migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022.
“At Lawyers for Civil Rights, we have been down this road before,” LCR Executive Director Iván Espinoza-Madrigal said in a statement. “Time after time, we have filed lawsuits against the Trump Administration — as we would against any official, blue or red, who tramples on the Constitution.”
The MBTA has benefitted substantially from federal funding during President Joe Biden’s time in office, and General Manager Phil Eng has said he will seek federal grants and assistance as the T tries to stave off a “fiscal cliff” projected for next year.
Yet the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has provided millions of dollars in funding for the MBTA and Massachusetts transportation projects, expires in 2026. The law’s future beyond then isn’t clear, and Project 2025 — a possible blueprint for Trump’s second term written by his allies — proposes further attacks on federal transit funding.
According to the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning public policy research organization, Project 2025 would defund transit maintenance and increase costs for commuters in part by eliminating critical Federal Transit Administration funding. The MBTA sorely needs those funds; last year, the agency said it would cost about $24.5 billion to bring the T’s infrastructure into a state of good repair, thanks to years of underinvestment.
Trump has long taken aim at the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as Obamacare, and in September’s presidential debate said his team is “looking at different plans” to possibly replace it. If he gets his way with proposed health care policy changes, that could mean higher costs for Americans, including some in Massachusetts.
Speaking to The Boston Globe, Massachusetts Nurses Association Executive Director Julie Pinkham also raised concerns that a growing crisis in the state’s health care system could fester or worsen under Trump’s second term. She also pointed out that the health care workforce here has long been overburdened and needs higher federal reimbursements for insurance programs for many patients, according to the Globe.
“From the standpoint of people delivering care, this isn’t good,” Pinkham told the newspaper. She also reportedly expressed fear the new administration could jeopardize the state’s health reforms and ability to treat low-income patients.
Trump has hinted that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine critic who holds no medical or public health degrees, could have a “big role” in his second administration. RFK Jr. has said “entire departments” of the Food and Drug Administration “have to go,” and his comments have stoked fear and uncertainty among public health experts and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, which have a large footprint in Greater Boston.
Experts have also warned that Trump’s second term will likely mean more threats to reproductive rights. Abortion remains legal and protected by state law in Massachusetts, and Healey has taken steps to stockpile the abortion medication mifepristone amid federal turmoil. But experts told the Globe some New England abortion providers are likely to lose significant federal funding under the new Trump administration and may need state leaders to cover the shortfall.
Lora Pellegrini, president of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, told GBH Trump’s election stokes other fears concerning reproductive care.
“We could see a complete federal ban on abortion, contraception, IVF that would impact all the states, including Massachusetts, so that’s pretty shocking and I’m not sure everyone fully understands that,” Pellegrini told the news outlet.
Trump also made attacks on transgender Americans central to his campaign, often targeting gender-affirming care.
Trump has threatened to issue an executive order targeting offshore wind development, a cornerstone of Massachusetts’s clean energy and climate goals.
“He’s going to shut down offshore wind,” Healey said in August, according to CommonWealth. “He’s going to shut down all clean energy technology. He’s going to shut down the move toward renewables. And if that were to happen, we would end up with a sicker, less healthy population. The consequences on our economy would be devastating.”
Trump’s election raises concerns about the state’s likely loss in federal support for clean energy, a sector that contributed more than $14 billion to Massachusetts’s gross state product in 2022, according to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. In fact, Trump has vowed to increase U.S. production of fossil fuels, and the Republican platform includes a promise to “DRILL, BABY, DRILL.”

Trump has said he wants to close the federal Department of Education and give more control to individual states, though he wouldn’t be able to do so unilaterally. One of his core campaign promises is to “cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children,” potentially teeing up a battle with more liberal-leaning states like Massachusetts.
Trump’s election will likely impact the state’s robust higher education sector, too, given his plan to “reclaim” universities from “Marxist maniacs.” According to the Globe, Trump and his allies propose replacing universities’ existing oversight agencies with new ones that would defend “the American tradition and Western civilization,” and they’ve hinted at plans to target campus diversity initiatives. A second Trump term also spells some uncertainty for Massachusetts student loan borrowers.
But there’s a chance Massachusetts won’t feel the educational impacts quite as deeply as some other states, John Baick, a history professor at Western New England University, suggested in comments to MassLive last month.
“The basic reality is that we’re going to be a pro-education state. And to put it rather bluntly, it’s similar to the idea of reproductive rights and a woman’s right to choose,” Baick told the news outlet. “What happens in Washington, D.C. may affect the country pretty dramatically, in some states pretty dramatically, but Massachusetts will basically be okay.”
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Worcester’s reflecting pool faced criticism
Amid fanfare, reflecting pool was added to Worcester Common in 1971, a tribute to WWII veterans.
Looking for a way the kids can cool off after the Fourth of July heat wave?
In addition to numerous public beaches and pools, central Massachusetts has multiple splash pads open this time of year, offering the perfect way for children to enjoy being in the water without the hassle of a beach day. While some are ticketed, many of the region’s splash pads are free, with parks, playgrounds and other recreational areas attached.
Here are 10 splash pads where you can beat the heat in central Massachusetts this summer.
Decked out with umbrellas and chairs, green water buckets and a frog to run under, Tacoma Street Spray Park is one of Worcester’s newer spray parks, located on the 18.9-acre Tacoma Street Playground. The park also has a basketball court and picnic area.
Like all of Worcester’s splash pads, Tacoma Street Spray Park is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily through Sept. 7. Located at 345 Tacoma St. in Worcester.
This small splash pad in Fitchburg features rainbow rings to run through and a large sun design painted on the ground. The splash pad is part of Park Hill Park, which also has a skateboard park, two playgrounds, a basketball court, several baseball fields and restrooms.
Park Hill Splash Park is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from June through August. Lifeguards are always onsite, and parking is available off Pratt Road in Fitchburg.
Davis Farmland in Sterling is back for a second year with Cowabunga Splash Park, the largest zero-depth water spray park in New England. Built with a state-of-the-art, computer-controlled water filtration system, the park features every kind of mister and sprinkler imaginable, including horse cannons, a water tunnel, a water table, a toddler spray pad and more. The park also has a giant slip-and-slide, an inflatable water slide and a huge water tower.
Admission to Davis Farmland, which includes access to over 50 activities, costs $35.95 for adults or $32.95 for seniors over 60, though tickets cost more at the gate.
COWabunga Splash Park is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day from now through Labor Day, with the water slide and slip-and-slide opening at 10:30 a.m. Davis Farmland is located at 145 Redstone Hill Road in Sterling.
Cristoforo Colombo Spray Park is a larger spray pad full of bright colors, water spouts and buckets dropping water from above. It is attached to Cristoforo Colombo Park, which also has a playground, fields, basketball courts and a baseball diamond.
The spray park is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily at 180 Shrewsbury St. in Worcester.
Located inside the Arthur A. Fournier Sr. Memorial Park, this splash pad spouts water from various flowers, a frog and even a dragon. The water must be turned on by pressing an orange button on the pavilion side of the splash pad, and it runs for 12 to 14 minutes at a time.
This splash pad is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., starting Memorial Day weekend and lasting through Labor Day. Located at 525 Litchfield St. in Leominster.
Ghiloni Park in Marlborough also has a splash pad with flowers and frogs, located right next to the park’s playground. Water is activated by placing a hand on the sensor of the green activator pole.
The Ghiloni Park Splash Pad is open from June 2 through Sept. 7, with daily hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located at 239 Concord Road in Marlborough.
Just opened last year, the splash pad at Worcester’s University Park features various tall water spouts for the kids to run through, surrounded by a playground, walking trails, pond views and plenty of umbrellas.
From now through Sept. 7, the spray park is open daily from noon to 7 p.m. Located at 965 Main St. in Worcester.
Clinton’s Philbin Memorial Park has a newly renovated splash pad that turns on by touching the top of the red fire hydrant. The water runs for four to five cycles and then rests for 10 to 15 minutes.
Philbin’s splash pad is open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with hours from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Located at Berlin and Wilson streets in Clinton.
Located right next to the beach at Carbuncle Pond, this colorful splash pad is conveniently equipped with lifeguard staffing, concessions and indoor public restrooms. Resident and nonresident passes are sold online or at the gate.
The splash pad and the beach are open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 495 Main St. in Oxford.
Attached to a new playground, Greenwood Park’s splash pad has various sprinklers and buckets of water. The spray park usually has an attendant, and bathrooms are attached.
Worcester’s Greenwood Spray Park is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily through Sept. 7. Located at 14 Forsberg St. in Worcester.
A Holbrook, Massachusetts man who fell critically ill while sailing through the South Pacific has died, his family told WBZ-TV Tuesday evening.
Scott Winslow was in intensive care at a hospital in Fiji for weeks, as his family fought to get him back home so he could be treated for septic shock and a serious infection.
Winslow’s wife and two daughters had made the 8,000-mile trip to be with him and fight for his care when he died.
“We are at the hospital and just said goodbye to our father,” his daughters told WBZ-TV. “We are heartbroken.”
Winslow was traveling on his nephew’s sailboat in the South Pacific on what was supposed to be a three-month voyage when he noticed what appeared to be a bug bite.
His family isn’t sure exactly what the cause of the illness was, but his condition quickly deteriorated, and he could no longer walk once they diverted the boat to Fiji.
The family provided WBZ medical documents from doctors in Fiji, who said he needed to be evacuated to another hospital.
The family said his insurance company, Aetna, denied the transport and the medical flight to get Winslow home would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Winslow’s family said they had secured medical services with the Mass General Brigham group if he got back to Massachusetts.
“I don’t understand. My problem is, my parents pay for insurance, this is what insurance is for,” Lisa Babbin, Scott’s daughter told WBZ-TV earlier on Tuesday.
Before Winslow died, WBZ-TV reached out to Aetna. In a statement, a spokesperson said they were continuing to work with Winslow’s family “and his providers in Fiji to identify the best way to get him back safely to the United States for continued treatment.”
The Winslow family had also reached out the U.S. Embassy in Fiji for help securing an emergency loan.
The past month in Massachusetts has been synonymous with World Cup fan festivals, cheering crowds and tourists from Scotland crowning statues with traffic cones.
Amid concerns that the Trump administrations would ramp up immigration enforcement during the tournament, international soccer fans have posted on social media that they’ve felt welcome in the United States. The World Cup has even served as a distraction for many immigrants who’ve spent the past year and half in fear of the Trump administration’s deportation push.
And yet beneath the surface, immigration lawyers and advocates say detentions have not only continued across Massachusetts since the World Cup started in early June — they’ve increased in frequency.
“It’s supposed to be a joyous time for families, for children, and we’re still seeing an increase of arrests,” Eloa Celedon, an immigration attorney based in Marlborough, said. “Prior to the World Cup, it had settled down a bit — but since the World Cup started, it has been very sad to see arrests happening.”
During May and early June, Celedon said her office received one or two calls a week about potential clients who’ve been recently detained. Over the last month, those calls have increased to four to five a day.
Celedon’s experiences track with a reported nationwide surge in arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Over a recent five-day period, agents across the nation detained more than 10,000 people. The arrests have occurred during routine check-ins with ICE agents as well as during traffic stops.
Todd Pomerleau, an immigration attorney and the president of Mass Deportation Defense Project, called the spike in arrests a “remarkable” contrast to the international goodwill that’s been on display during the World Cup. He pointed to a recent game he was at in California between Belgium and Iran, recounting the way players and fans cordially listened to both teams’ national anthems played before the match.
“Juxtapose that with what I’ve seen as an immigration attorney,” Pomerleau said. ”The government seems like it goes out of its way to basically arrest people without justification a lot and then just throw them in detention facilities.”
No attorneys have heard of any cases of immigrants being detained around the World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium, temporarily renamed Boston Stadium.
ICE didn’t respond to questions about how many people it has detained in Massachusetts since the start of the World Cup — the agency usually doesn’t provide time-specific enforcement figures.
Still, there are other ways to get rough estimates. Attorneys often file habeas petitions in federal court, asking judges to intervene in alleged unlawful detentions and keep immigrants from being sent to detention centers in other states.
There have been nearly 190 habeas filings in Massachusetts federal district court since the beginning of the World Cup matches, according to Habeas Dockets, a tracker run by the nonprofit Immigration Justice Transparency Initiative. Cases rose by 21% in June overall from the month before, going from 183 in May to 222.
One of those filings was for Malton Lacerda, who was detained June 28 by ICE agents after shopping at a Walmart in Halifax with his son Victor Lacerda, a Navy vet. The elder Lacerda wore a T-shirt saying “Navy Dad” as he put groceries in the car.
“Then we get rushed by a bunch of different ICE agents with guns drawn and threatening us. And we were confused,” Victor Lacerda, the son, said. “I looked back to see what was going on, because at first I couldn’t even believe it was happening to us, because we were just getting groceries. We hadn’t done anything wrong. And that’s when I saw them putting hands on my father and detaining him. But they were still asking me questions about my citizenship and my father’s citizenship.”
Victor Lacerda, who was born in the United States, served in the Navy after high school and lives in Kingston, Massachusetts. His father, who’s undocumented, is originally from Brazil and has lived in the United States for at least 25 years. He’s currently being held at Plymouth County’s ICE detention facility.
Pomerleau, the Lacerdas’ attorney, says the father was in the process of securing a green card when he was detained. He’s eligible for permanent residency in the United States through a special process for veteran family members.
Pomerleau called the father an exemplary member of his community, noting that he works as a horse trainer and provides horse therapy for disabled veterans. He and his son also march in local parades, and planned on doing so again for the Fourth of July.
“He’s done a lot of work for the community for years. He marched in the 400th Thanksgiving Parade down in Plymouth, Memorial Day parades,” Pomerleau said.
Courtesy of Victor Laceda
Lacerda has two 20-year-old cases of driving without a license and paying fines, and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge from 2008 that was dismissed, involving his ex-partner who’s now raising funds for his legal expenses. ICE didn’t return requests for comment on the case.
Local immigration advocates say the recent spike in arrests is one more way the Trump administration has cherry-picked which foreigners and immigrants can enjoy the world’s biggest sporting event.
Celedon noted that the federal immigration crackdown has also made it impossible, or very difficult, for people from countries on full or partial travel ban lists to visit the United States to attend World Cup games. Those countries include Haiti and others in Africa.
“It feels like almost like racial profiling people of certain countries that are allowed to come and those that are not allowed to come and not allowed to stay,” Celedon said.
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