- Governor Healey signed the PROTECT Act on August fifth, twenty twenty-six, to restrict ICE arrests.
- The law requires a judicial warrant for civil immigration arrests at schools, hospitals, and courthouses.
- It prohibits new 287-g agreements and codifies protections against warrantless administrative ICE detainers.
Governor Maura Healey signed legislation Wednesday restricting ICE arrests at Massachusetts schools, courthouses, hospitals and other protected locations unless agents have a judicial warrant.
The measure, formally titled “An Act promoting rule of law, oversight, trust and equal constitutional treatment,” converts protections previously established through executive orders or court rulings into statutory requirements. Healey signed the law on August 5, 2026.
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Healey described the law as the strongest state-level protection against ICE in the country.
“The PROTECT Act is the strongest law in the country to protect people from ICE, because no one should be afraid to send their child to school, seek medical care or fear reporting a crime or appearing in court. It makes us all less safe. So we are getting ICE out of our courthouses, schools and hospitals.”
The Department of Homeland Security opposed the measure. A department spokesperson said Massachusetts lawmakers were releasing violent criminals from jails and warned that federal officers would need a more visible presence to find them.
“Instead of working with us, Massachusetts lawmakers are choosing to RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims. When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities.”
ICE detentions reached a record monthly high of over 46,000 in July 2026, according to official data. Reports of enforcement blitzes in Massachusetts described thousands of detentions and declining school enrollment and medical appointments in Chelsea and New Bedford.
The new law addresses those points of contact directly. It also gives people held in state or county custody written notice of specific rights and creates avenues for civil-rights claims.
Schools, courts and health facilities now receive statutory protection
The law bars ICE and other federal agents from making civil immigration arrests without a judicial warrant at designated sensitive locations.
| Protected location | Coverage under the law |
|---|---|
| Schools and child care | Public schools and child care centers |
| Courts | Courthouses, including locations serving victims and witnesses |
| Health facilities | Hospitals, health centers and nursing homes |
The measure also blocks Massachusetts state and local law-enforcement agencies from entering new 287(g) agreements. Those agreements allow local officers to perform federal immigration-enforcement functions.
One existing agreement remains in place. It involves the Department of Correction.
The legislation also codifies Lunn v. Commonwealth, the 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that prevents state and local police from holding someone solely on an administrative ICE detainer. That provision places the court’s protection in the statute rather than leaving it only in the decision.
People in custody must receive written notice of their rights
Individuals held in state or county custody must receive information about their rights in writing. The notice must explain that they can decline interviews with federal agents and seek legal counsel.
The law also permits civil-rights claims in state court against government officials, including federal agents, who violate its protections. The provision gives affected individuals a state-court route to challenge alleged violations.
That remedy applies to the protections established by the legislation. It does not create a guarantee that every claim will succeed.
Families can prepare for detention-related disruptions
Parents may pre-arrange guardianship for their children if they are detained or deported. The provision allows families to make arrangements before an immigration action separates a parent from a child.
The Governor and Attorney General also launched an online portal for residents to report alleged ICE misconduct directly to state authorities. The portal adds a reporting channel alongside the law’s court-based enforcement provision.
Healey signed the measure amid wider federal immigration activity. The reported Massachusetts detentions, along with reduced attendance at schools and medical appointments in Chelsea and New Bedford, supplied the immediate backdrop for protections focused on essential services.
A separate federal case involved TPS work authorization
The signing also came after a separate legal fight in Massachusetts over Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries. Federal judge Nathaniel Gorton issued an administrative stay on July 21, 2026, blocking certain USCIS policies tied to the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or H.R. 1.
Those policies would have retroactively terminated work authorization for TPS beneficiaries. USCIS listed the court action in an alert dated July 23, 2026.
The Massachusetts law’s text covers protected locations, local participation in federal enforcement, custody notices and civil-rights claims. Its family provisions address guardianship, while the reporting portal directs alleged misconduct to state authorities.
People facing detention, an immigration arrest or a custody dispute should obtain advice based on the facts and jurisdiction involved. This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
