The Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security will conduct a public hearing and accept testimony on the Safe Communities Act in rooms A1/A2 of the State House on Friday, June 9, starting at 10 am. The Safe Communities Act would effectively make Massachusetts our nation’s first “Sanctuary State” by limiting our cooperation with ICE detainer requests, 287(g) agreements, and proposals for a Muslim registry. This page is maintained by Rep. Connolly to provide constituents and other interested folks with information and updates on the hearing. Details about this hearing are subject to change due to overwhelming public interest; we will update this page with more information as it becomes available. Pluralism Project Summary: The event was put on by the Joint Committee of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and attended by individuals of various professions, community organizations and religious groups from Massachusetts. The rooms were so packed that several people listened from the hallway and sat on the floor. In order to give their testimonies, participants had to sign up in another room. Speakers who came in groups often represented an organization, such as the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Agencia ALPHA, the Jewish Relations Community Council and the Center for Immigrant Research. While individuals and groups gave passionate testimonies as to whether the act was to be accepted or rejected, it was clear that the majority of the audience was in favor of the act. There were so many speakers and testimonies that the event wore on past its scheduled end time of 3 pm, and finally ended after 8 pm. This summary was written by a Pluralism Project staff member who attended the event.