It just acts like one. It’s instead a sort of haven, or heaven, for immigrants, illegal or otherwise, who have flocked here seeking refuge and welfare.
Just don’t call it a sanctuary.
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“We are not a sanctuary state,” Healey said following raids by President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan, and ICE last week in which some 370 wanted “illegal aliens” –including drug dealers, gun runners, murderers and rapists—were rounded up in Boston and across the state.
The newcomers to Massachusetts, with good reason, apparently thought otherwise.
And why not? Under Healey the state is spending billions of taxpayer dollars for the caring of the influx of immigrants from around the world who have sought sanctuary, or refuge, in the state. This includes free housing, food, medical care, cell phones, transportation, schooling and so on.
Only the other day Healey’s Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones told a State House committee hearing that Healey is seeking to spend $30 million to teach adult immigrants English under a program called English for Speakers of Other Languages.
The same committee is considering a companion bill creating a state funded Immigrant Legal Defense Fund that would provide lawyers for immigrants who face deportation, including those held in federal detention centers.
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But Healey may have a point, shaky as it is. The state is not Boston, which with its Boston Trust Act which makes it a sanctuary city.
The act prohibits Boston cops from making arrests of illegal immigrants or holding them based on ICE immigration detainers. The cops are also prohibited from even asking people about their immigration status.
Even though the act does not apply to the state, a 2017 decision by the Supreme Judicial Court does apply by making Massachusetts a safe harbor for migrants wanted by ICE— or at least it did before Homan came to town.
The court held that the state court officers are not legally permitted to arrest or hold immigrants wanted by ICE on detainers. The ruling is interpreted to apply to all state and local law enforcement officials as well.
If that does not make Massachusetts a sanctuary state, then perhaps the loose interpretation, or outright ignoring, by the Healey administration of the state’s so-called “Right to Shelter” law, does.
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This is the 1983 law (ACT 1983. Chap. 45, Section 1) that was passed to deal with the state’s homeless problem which back then was small compared to today.
The law, signed by Gov. Michael Dukakis, limited the eligibility for welfare benefits only to “residents” of the state.
It says that “any such person who enters the Commonwealth solely for the purposes of obtaining benefits under this chapter shall not be considered a resident.”
This accounts why progressives like Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Attorney General Andrea Campbell call immigrants “residents”’ even if they just crashed into the state and were sleeping at Logan Airport or checking in at one of Healey’s hotels.
Healey, the progressive that she is, had no choice when the alternative was to send many of the illegal immigrants arriving from around the world back to their home countries..
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No progressive with a heart would dare suggest a thing, even if it could be done.
So that left President Trump, who the progressives hate, to clean up the mess that Joe Biden left behind when he opened the borders and waved millions of unvetted immigrants into the country, criminals included.
Governors like Healey, instead of attacking Trump, should be thanking him for shutting down the border, ending the immigrant invasion, and deporting the violent immigrant criminals living in the state committing horrendous crimes.
Instead, Healey, Wu and Campbell all planned to thwart the president.
Campbell even said, “Bring it on.” So, Trump did.
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As Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.comGov. Maura Healey insists Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state, despite an immigration crackdown by border czar Tom Homan. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald, File)
Courtesy/DEA
Boston-based agents with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit stand with multiple illegal immigrants they arrested on Nantucket earlier this month. (Courtesy/DEA, File)
No other city in the country boasts more championships than Boston, giving Massachusetts a sporting pedigree unlike any other.
What’s unique about many of the state is that several of the stars from those championship-winning teams were Massachusetts natives.
Before they were winning the Stanley Cup, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, World Series or a gold medal, those athletes were high school standouts.
Which high schools in Massachusetts are considered the best for athletes today?
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According to a study conducted by Niche, which accounts for survey feedback from students and parents—accounting for “reviews of athletics, number of state championships, student participation in athletics, and the number of sports offered at the school”—and data from the U.S. Department of Education, these are the top 25.
BOSTON (WHDH) – It was a powerful moment on Friday during the annual Law-Enforcement Memorial Ceremony at the State House, as the ceremony remembered those lost in the line of duty, including State Trooper Kevin Trainor.
Trainor was killed in a wrong-way crash this week. Trainor’s family was in attendance.
“We’re here today with the Trainor family as another tragedy and agonizing time in policing has found us,” Larry Calderone, Boston Police Union President, said.
The day brought a moment to pause and remember the 30-year-old who is being hailed a hero after he was struck and killed Wednesday morning on Route 1 in Lynnfield.
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“We’ve lost a brother,” Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said.
The fallen trooper’s fiancée spoke out for the first time since losing the love of her life. She posted to social media, “I am beyond proud of the amount of love you have been given by those who loved and cared about you shows us who you really were, a friend, a partner, a brother, a son, and a hero. You weren’t just a hero to me but a hero to all.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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Bishop Feehan moves up to the No. 2 spot — the Shamrocks have won eight straight against in-state competition, and ace Brody Bumila continues to look unbeatable. Natick enters the top five for the first time at No. 4 — the Redhawks are 12-1 with a 9-0 mark in Bay State play.
In the back half, Reading rises to No. 13 after getting some revenge on No. 19 Arlington. Also rising are No. 12 Plymouth North and No. 16 Canton, each up two spots.
New entrants are No. 18 Winchester, which returns to the rankings, and No. 20 Hopkinton, in for the first time this year on the back of four straight wins.
Records based on scores reported to the Globe.
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The Globe’s Top 20 baseball poll
The Globe poll as of May 8, 2026. Teams were selected by the Globe sports staff.
Mike Puzzanghera can be reached at michael.puzzanghera@globe.com. Follow him on X @mpuzzanghera.
