BOSTON (WGGB/WSHM) – Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has announced new guidance to schools, childcare providers, higher education campuses, health care facilities, and places of worship surrounding interactions with Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE).

The guidance, released Thursday, was required under an executive order Healey signed earlier this year and includes “operational guidance” for those entities. It also details public-facing guidance clarifying that federal immigration officers may not conduct warrantless civil immigration arrests in nonpublic areas of state Executive Branch facilities and may not use state property to stage or conduct civil immigration enforcement operations.

“People in Massachusetts should be able to live their lives - go to school, drop their kids off at child care, see a doctor - without fear. That is fundamental,” Healey said in a statement. “We are setting clear expectations so providers know how to respond, how to protect their communities, and how to keep their doors open to everyone who needs care and support.”

Thursday’s guidance, as released by the governor’s office, includes:

For schools, childcare providers and higher education institutions:

Fore health care providers and facilities:

For places of worship:

The guidance also clarifies that administrative ICE or Homeland Security warrants do not authorize entry into nonpublic spaces. Organizations and providers are being encouraged to establish clear escalation procedures, identify public and nonpublic areas, protect confidential information and train staff on how to respond appropriately to interactions with federal immigration officers.

Previously, Healey and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell reminded students and faculty that ICE does not have a right to enter non-public campus facilities, including dormitories, without a valid judicial warrant or judicial order. Public-facing guidance for state facilities and state property:

State agencies, including the Executive Office of Education and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, will now collaborate to support guidance outreach and implementation, as well as sharing best practices and providing resources to providers across the state.

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