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IN LATE MARCH, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed the PROTECT Act by an overwhelming majority to strengthen protections for immigrants across the state. Earlier this month, the Senate passed a version of the bill. It will now be up to a House-Senate conference to iron out differences between the two versions.

In light of a new report showing that Massachusetts law enforcement frequently cooperates with federal immigration authorities, it is more urgent than ever for the Legislature to get the bill over the finish line this session and for Gov. Healey to sign it.

The PROTECT Act enshrines basic protections for immigrants and their families. It requires that detained individuals be notified of their right to counsel and their right to decline conversations with federal authorities until they have an attorney. It ensures that courthouses are safe zones, where immigrants can show up for civil hearings without fear of being ensnared by enforcement, even when they have the lawful right to be here and are contesting something as minor as a broken headlight. And it makes it illegal for police officers to inquire about immigration status, unless required by law or judicial warrant.

These provisions are representative of what the full legislation accomplishes: commonsense protections for immigrants in our state. But sanctuary policies like the PROTECT Act have been the subject of public rancor and misunderstanding over the past year. These debates, though, often miss what sanctuary policies do – and what they do not.

Sanctuary policies can make it safer for victims of domestic violence to seek relief. They contribute to vital local economies; sanctuary counties have higher median incomes, by roughly $4,400, and poverty rates that are over two percent lower than counties without sanctuary policies. These policies also make it more likely that immigrants will report violent crimes. Meanwhile, in places where police and immigration enforcement have formal cooperation, we see higher rates of school absenteeism, no decline in crime, and mandates for police departments that lack funding, to the point that even some sheriffs in places like Texas oppose them.

It’s also important to note that sanctuary policies are not, and have never been, illegal. A recent federal court decision about sanctuary policies in Colorado made this abundantly clear. Nor do they prevent police from doing the work of reducing crime. Even in sanctuary jurisdictions, police regularly cooperate with ICE in the case of felony convictions and judicial warrants for arrest.

But sanctuary is more than just a declaration on paper, as I found in the five years I spent talking with immigrant women for my book about the possibilities of sanctuary. One mother, whom I call Lupe, characterized the sanctuary city where she lived as “fertile soil” for raising her children.

Lupe brought her children to the US from El Salvador in search of safety and a better life. She didn’t come to a sanctuary city intentionally. But once she arrived, she felt the city’s policies gave her the freedom to become a regular churchgoer, to show up to events at her children’s schools, and to find work to support her family. She brought her children to swim lessons, enrolled in English classes, and befriended other immigrant mothers, becoming a vital part of the fabric of her city.

This is the power of sanctuary. And this is why Massachusetts needs the PROTECT Act. It isn’t that sanctuary alone pushed Lupe to become such an active, engaged community member. But it allowed her to feel safe enough to take public transportation, participate in church and school, and find a job.

Massachusetts as a whole also benefits when its immigrant communities know their basic constitutional and human rights will be protected. We are a state where nearly 20 percent of our residents are immigrants, the 7th highest rate in the nation. Immigrants in Massachusetts pay $20 billion in annual tax revenue, with undocumented residents contributing $1.4 billion each year. And with the state losing residents to more affordable places, immigration is a stalwart against rapid, unsustainable population decline.

Sanctuary is an imperfect mechanism for inclusive, just communities. For that, we need comprehensive immigration reform, fair housing policies, affordable child care, and well-funded schools, at the very least. But what the PROTECT Act can do is exactly what its name says: protect immigrants and their families in Massachusetts so they have the necessary freedom to build lives of meaning and purpose.

Sarah Bruhn is a postdoctoral researcher and a Scholars Strategy Network media fellow. She is author of the forthcoming book Holding On to Home: Immigrant Women and the Promise of Sanctuary.