Elon Musk slams Massachusetts sanctuary cities as Natick looks to join that group

Elon Musk slammed sanctuary cities just minutes before the Natick Select Board met Wednesday night to consider committing to that status, which would sharply limit its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Musk took to his social media platform, X, after Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston announced it had arrested two illegal immigrants on charges of child rape and taken in an unlawfully present Brazilian convicted of child rape in his home country.

All three incidents have taken place since last week while cities and towns across the Bay State race to reaffirm their commitments as sanctuary cities.

Natick took up a policy at its meeting Wednesday night that would enact similar provisions, a move that officials in the MetroWest town say would “ensure that all individuals feel valued and a sense of belonging.”

“Why are ‘sanctuary’ cities protecting child rapists? Unconscionable,” Musk posted minutes before 6 p.m. “Any politician who does so should be recalled immediately.”

Within 90 minutes, the post had garnered 5.4 million views, 11,000 reshares and 50,000 likes.

President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Musk to team up with Vivek Ramaswamy in leading the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a new group outside of the federal government that will offer “advice and guidance” to the White House.

The organization will also partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large-scale structural reform.”

The Natick Select Board is meeting tonight to discuss whether it wants to become the ninth sanctuary city in the Bay State.

Under sanctuary status, town employees would be barred from inquiring about or collecting information regarding citizenship or immigration status unless federal or state laws require them to do so.

Detaining a person based on the belief he or she is not in the U.S. legally or that the individual committed an immigration violation would go against the sanctuary commitment.

“No employee of the Town shall perform the functions of an immigration officer, nor shall the Town use Town funds, resources, facilities, property, equipment or personnel to directly assist in the enforcement of federal civil immigration laws,” the drafted policy states.

“Nothing in this policy shall prevent an officer, employee or department of the Town from lawfully discharging duties in compliance with and in response to a lawfully issued judicial warrant, judicial subpoena, or judicial detainer,” the policy ends.

This comes as the cities and towns that are already sanctuary cities have already committed to reaffirming that status or look to approve their further support in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory earlier this month.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has vowed that she will continue to protect immigrants in “every possible way” under Trump’s mass deportation threat, catching backlash from Trump’s appointed border czar Tom Homan.

Northampton and Amherst have already approved their sanctuary reaffirmations, while Somerville is set to OK its commitment next week.

Gov. Maura Healey has also pledged that Massachusetts State Police won’t be used to assist in Trump’s deportation efforts, with the state’s top law enforcement agency declaring that kind of support goes against its mission.

Cambridge, Concord, Lawrence and Newton are the other sanctuary cities.

Public comments that the Natick Select Board received before the meeting were mixed.

Resident Lynne Harvey wrote in a letter Wednesday afternoon that she believes the policy is “putting the horse in front of the cart because of what you believe might happen with immigration with the incoming administration.”

“You should not let emotions and fear-mongering from the media dictate how we handle things in Natick,” she wrote. “We are a welcoming town and our police and fire are wonderful. Passing this bill will put a huge financial strain on our resources and control our police rather than trust them to do what’s right. The focus in the new administration is on illegals that have committed crimes or known criminals from their countries.”

Others who wrote letters expressing disapproval highlighted how the town is facing a potential override and that they believe a sanctuary designation would do further damage to its finances.

Natick Town Administrator Jamie Errickson warned the Select Board last month of a possible need for an operational override as soon as March, the hyperlocal Natick Report reported. That would allow the town to bypass a state law that keeps local governments from increasing their property tax levy amid structural deficits.

More than a handful of residents who support the sanctuary status sent the same message to the Select Board in individual emails. They argued that the language in the drafted policy is similar to other policies in the other municipalities.

“This policy is critical for ensuring that our town employees are not conscripted into enforcing federal immigration law at a time when our resources are already limited,” Chris Therrian wrote on Wednesday. “The policy also assures immigrant communities that they can utilize town resources, including reporting crimes to law enforcement, without fear of immigration repercussions.”

“Any upcoming program of mass deportation will lean heavily on local law enforcement for support,” she added. “That is why we must have policies in place now that reflect Natick’s inclusive values.”

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