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On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump has championed “mass deportations” of undocumented immigrants. Cambridge officials say they won’t let it happen in their backyard.
Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern doubled down on the city’s commitment to honoring Cambridge’s status as a sanctuary city, which limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
“Cambridge has been a sanctuary city since the mid ’80s,” McGovern wrote in a statement to The Crimson. “We are a welcoming and supportive community, and I expect us to stay that way.”
Immigration took center stage this campaign cycle, as voters sounded the alarm about increasing illegal immigration at the southern border and Trump pledged to implement the “largest deportation program in American history.”
Cambridge — and Massachusetts at large — have been especially impacted by the recent waves of immigration. The area has become a popular destination among asylum seekers, including a recent influx of Haitian immigrants, contributing to a strain on the state’s emergency shelter system.
In the summer of 2023, Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 declared a state of emergency due to “rapidly rising numbers of migrant families” arriving in the state.
But as an impending Trump administration begins its crackdown on migrants, city spokesperson Jeremy C. Warnick wrote in a statement that Cambridge “remains unwavering in its commitment to supporting and promoting the safety, health, and well-being of all of its residents.”
“As a Sanctuary City, Cambridge affirms the basic human rights and dignity of every human being and provides education, health and other critical services to all residents of Cambridge, regardless of their immigration status,” Warnick added, echoing nearly word-for-word the city’s response to Trump’s original threats of mass deportation in 2017.
Trump demonized migrants throughout his presidential bid, saying they were “poisoning the blood” of America. He focused in particular on debunked rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating locals’ pets.
Closer to home, Republican John Deaton — who lost to Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass) during her reelection bid Tuesday — also made immigration a key issue of his campaign, though he framed himself as an anti-Trump Republican.
“Today, our country faces an unprecedented crisis at our southern border. MA guarantees a right to shelter to the homeless, and because of that law enacted in 1983, the Commonwealth has become Ground Zero in the migrant crisis,” Deaton’s website reads.
Warnick, in his statement, stressed that Cambridge’s status as a Sanctuary City was part of a longstanding tradition of supporting refugees and newcomers.
“The City of Cambridge has been a Sanctuary City since April 1985, when the City Council first took steps to protect and support refugees fleeing from political violence and human rights violations in El Salvador, Guatemala and Haiti,” Warnick wrote.
“In 1999, the City Council expanded that support to all residents, no matter their immigration status, and has regularly reaffirmed that over the last 25 years,” Warnick added.
—Staff writer Benjamin Isaac can be reached at benjamin.isaac@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @benjaminisaac_1.
—Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai.
