The Explainer: What is the PROTECT Act and how does it affect Waltham’s schools?

Since the 2023-24 school year, Waltham’s English learner population has plummeted, in line with school districts across the state. Educators attribute this phenomenon to a surge in immigration enforcement. The PROTECT Act is Massachusetts’ response to the surge. 

Governor Maura Healey signed “An Act promoting rule of law, oversight, trust and equal constitutional treatment” into law on Aug. 5, designating Massachusetts schools, courthouses, hospitals and other “sensitive locations” off-limits to warrantless civil immigration arrests. However, ICE can still make arrests if it has a warrant signed by a judge. 

The act also bars new deputizations, called 287(g) agreements, between local police and ICE. The law leaves the current 287(g) agreement between ICE and the Massachusetts Department of Corrections intact. Critics said this provision is a weak point in the legislation. 

The act didn’t come out of nowhere. The day after his inauguration, President Donald Trump rescinded a 2011 federal policy that had kept immigration enforcement out of the places the PROTECT Act tries to defend. ICE activity has skyrocketed nationwide since the policy was revoked.

Massachusetts is not alone in pushing back with legislation. Other states including California, Maryland and New Jersey have enacted similar protections, and the Justice Department has sued a number of jurisdictions to block these policies. 

This law comes at a precarious time for education in the state. K-12 enrollment fell by about 15,000 students this school year — its lowest level since the early 1990s — with English learners accounting for nearly half of that decline despite being  a much smaller share of overall enrollment.

School leaders in Chelsea, Framingham and Lynn reported enrollment drops of hundreds of students, tying them directly to families keeping kids home out of fear of encountering immigration agents.

A roadmap welcomed in Waltham

As part of the law, every school district in the state had to adopt a written policy on interacting with civil law enforcement by Sept. 1 — just 11 days after the state released its model policy and guidance. The Massachusetts Association of School Committees called the timeline “somewhat impossible,” according to Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa. 

On Sept. 2, Waltham drafted and implemented a policy heavily based on the state’s model. However, the district chose to build its own plain-language “quick-guides” for families and staff. The staff version distills the policy down to three rules: stay calm, never approach or engage an officer first and never physically interfere with one, even if they’re acting unlawfully. 

A staff member who feels unsafe can hand the interaction to an administrator, triggering an escalation protocol which ultimately loops in Mendonsa’s office. A separate family guide covers what the district will do and what a family can do if a relative is approached, or if they witness an encounter with ICE. 

In the past, the district had its own policy in place for possible encounters with ICE. 

“ICE agents will not be allowed access to our schools without proper judicial warrants and will not be allowed to disrupt our educational programming in any way,” acting Superintendent Kate Peretz said in 2025. 

Mendonsa described the new PROTECT Act policy as “very similar to things that we have enacted in recent years.”

Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy, who chairs the School Committee, expressed relief that the district now had a formal roadmap for its immigration enforcement policies. “We are very happy that we now have this codified,” she said.