Massachusetts Senate Votes 37-3 to Engross Sweeping Immigrant Protections Bill

BOSTON — May 7, 2026 — Massachusetts Senate passes sweeping immigrant protections bill 37-3, rejecting a dozen minority amendments. The Senate engrossed House No. 5316, the Act Promoting Rule of Law Oversight Trust and Equal Constitutional Treatment — known as the Protect Act — after a floor session in which Senators Kelly A. Dooner, Ryan C. Fattman, and Peter J. Durant cast the only dissenting votes. Senate Steering Committee Chair Cindy F. Friedman of Arlington led opposition to minority amendments filed by Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr and Senator Fattman, each of which failed by margins as wide as 5-34. Senator Sal N. DiDomenico testified that school enrollment in his districts of Chelsea and Everett has dropped by nearly 900 students, costing those cities a combined $17 million in school funding. The bill designates schools, hospitals, courthouses, houses of worship, and child care centers as sensitive locations where state and local officers may not make warrantless civil immigration arrests, preserves the Department of Correction's existing 287G agreement with federal authorities, and establishes a three-year standing commission on immigration policy.