The Massachusetts Trial Court recently suggested that the PROTECT Act — legislation that would protect against immigration arrests inside state courthouses without a judicial warrant — would disrupt the so-called “soft diplomacy” between state courts and ICE. This is not a strategy; it’s a surrender. And the communities bearing the cost of this capitulation can’t afford for injustice to go unanswered.
CfJJ’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, Joshua Dankoff, co-authored a new op-ed with Brooke Simone, an attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights: “The Trial Court’s “Soft Diplomacy” With ICE Is Not a Strategy. It’s Surrender.”
Read the full op-ed on our blog, cfjj.org/cfjj-blog
Action Alert: Invest in Diversion!
Youth who are diverted from court involvement are:
• less likely to be re-arrested and incarcerated;
• less likely to engage in violent behavior; and
• more likely to be enrolled in school and graduate within five years
These positive results occur at a fraction of the cost of court processing. Every $1 spent on diversion, generates $25.60 in benefits. For young people, diversion offers courts the opportunity to hold youth accountable without creating a juvenile record or risking detention.
Unfortunately, the FY2027 State Budget is on track to cut diversion funding.
Please call or email your State Senator asking them to co-sponsor Amendment #928 to restore funding to support youth diversion. Learn more through the link in our bio.
Join us for our next Lunch & Learn with Sana Fadel from @cfjjma !
We will discuss one of our legislative priorities — the Raise the Age bill (S.1061 / H.1923). This bill would keep 18-20 year olds in the juvenile justice system, allowing them to access more developmentally appropriate services, such as education and counseling.
This bill prevents gun violence at its roots — by investing in proven solutions that disrupt harmful cycles and allow young people to access care, support and real opportunities to succeed.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 19th at 12PM
WHERE: Zoom
✅ Registration is required, so sign up at the link in our bio!
“Is a 17-year old more deserving of a second chance than an 18-year-old? More than a 19-year-old? Too often, young adults in the criminal justice system are told that the second they turn 18 their mistakes are who they are rather than something they can learn from.
We know this is not true. That’s why we support legislation that would raise the age of jurisdiction for juvenile courts to all those under 21 years old. This would show young adults that they are redeemable, that they are worth investing in.”- Reese Thompson, Jayden Hernandez, Ethan Shamey, and Jason Rankins, @mtwyouth
Our first annual Seeds of Hope: Building a Shared Vision of Youth Justice fundraiser and community gathering is just one week away! Join us from 5-7PM on May 12th at Dorchester Brewing Company!
Our auction is now live! You can browse and start bidding in advance on a range of items—from a waterfront staycation to museum passes, concert tickets, local experiences, and exclusive sports memorabilia. All items available online will also be open for bidding at the event.
If you’re not able to attend on the 12th, you can still participate by bidding online. Take a look, place your bids, and we hope to see you on May 12! Register and view the auction through the link in our bio.
Local law enforcement collaboration with ICE in Massachusetts puts our communities at risk. Our report finds that this collusion takes many forms, including:
• License plate readers collecting and sharing data with ICE
• Police communicating directly with ICE in the field
• Regular sharing of fingerprint data, including those of children, with federal immigration authorities
• Police departments allowing or requiring collaboration with ICE, or lacking clear policies restricting it
• Information-sharing across municipal, county, and state agencies
Read our new report, “ICE OUT: Mapping and Resisting Local Law Enforcement Collusion with ICE in Massachusetts”, or watch the report presentation on our YouTube to learn more.
What’s really happening between local law enforcement and ICE in Massachusetts?
CfJJ’s new report, “ICE OUT: Mapping and Resisting Local Law Enforcement Collusion with ICE in Massachusetts”, uncovers how local and state agencies share information and collaborate with federal immigration enforcement, and what that cooperation with the Trump administration means for communities across the state.
Join us Friday at 11 a.m. on Zoom for a presentation on the report’s findings and recommendations. Register through the link in our bio.
“Local agencies have been quietly serving as an extension of the Trump administration’s deportation machine — often going well beyond what state or federal law requires of them,” Joshua Dankoff, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CfJJ
“A report released Monday by youth justice advocates details ways in which Massachusetts law enforcement agencies collaborate with federal immigration authorities despite existing local and state limitations.
In its report, Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ) urges state lawmakers to place stricter limits on the ways in which local police, sheriff departments and courthouses can work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
Join us this Friday, May 1st from 11:00-12:15 on zoom for a presentation on the report’s findings and recommendations, as well as an opportunity Q&A. Register through the link in bio!
Massachusetts law leaves major gaps that permit local and state authorities to cooperate and share information with federal immigration enforcement.
These gaps in our General Laws have allowed local police, sheriffs, district attorneys, and courthouse staff to collaborate and share information with ICE, sometimes on a daily basis.
Citizens for Juvenile Justice new report, “ICE OUT: Mapping and Resisting Local Law Enforcement Collusion with ICE in Massachusetts,” examines how local law enforcement across Massachusetts is involved in federal immigration operations and detentions.
Join @cfjjma virtual meeting on Friday, May 1, 2026 @11am
to learn more about their new report. ✨link in bio✨
“...out of the 5,656 criminally sentenced individuals that are incarcerated in Mass DOC facilities, more than 40% are on educational programming waitlists.
Massachusetts taxpayers spend around $134,000 per year on each incarcerated individual. According to Jesse White, a legislative director at Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts, a Boston-based nonprofit that provides civil legal services to incarcerated people, that should be “more than sufficient” to ensure access to education and re-entry programs for everyone.
‘The vast majority of its funding goes toward punishment-related costs,’ White said. ‘Instead of toward programming, education, vocational training, and things that would actually help to make the prisons and our communities safer.’”
“Boston Public Schools overhauled its guidelines for how staff should respond to federal agents following Mayor Michelle Wu’s executive order prohibiting immigration enforcement on city property.
School employees are not allowed to discuss a student’s immigration status with law enforcement unless they have the approval of a city lawyer, according to the guidelines.
The directive outlines how to handle interactions on school property with agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.”
Our spring fundraiser is just under a month away! Join us May 12th at Dorchester Brewing Company for an evening of community, conversation, creativity, and connection as we come together to support youth justice. We hope to see you there! Register through the link in our bio!
