Gov. Healey defends immigration policy in Massachusetts: "We are not a sanctuary state."
BOSTON - In a year-end interview with WBZ-TV, Gov. Maura Healey had a message for the handful of Massachusetts communities that designate themselves as "sanctuary" cities for immigrants.
Immigration in Massachusetts
"We are not a sanctuary state. If you come here, there is not housing here, and I think that's been effective in changing the trajectory of [migration to Massachusetts]," Healey said.
Healey joined WBZ-TV for a two-part interview. The second part will air December 29.
"I don't really understand what that terminology means in practice, because I guess I come to this also as a former prosecutor and Attorney General," Healey said. "I can tell you that when it comes to criminal investigations of violent crime, of drug trafficking, gun trafficking, human trafficking, today, and this has always been the case, local law enforcement, state law enforcement, working with federal law enforcement, will continue to do that work."
Healey also called on Congress and the incoming Trump administration to try again to pass reform of the immigration laws and border security.
How Trump won presidency
And on the subject of how Trump won the election, Healey echoed the view of many observers that "Democrats weren't paying enough attention to people's pocketbook, to their economic circumstance."
"I have been laser-focused on costs, [with] the tax cuts that I put in…[we made] community college and UMass more affordable…we have done a lot with economic development to support small businesses and entrepreneurs who need more resources and help from the state, and we've really focused on housing…we've got to lower the cost of homes," Healey said. "I think that's where Democrats need to be. That needs to be the focus, that needs to be the message. And there were many people who did not feel connected to that in this last election."
Steward coverage criticism
Healey pushed back on a tough Boston Globe Spotlight team story that criticized Healey and state regulators for "failure to discipline" the Steward hospital chain as it drove its holdings into bankruptcy, triggering criminal investigations and the closure of two local hospitals.
The article "was pretty outrageous, a lot of insinuations, a lot of information left out," Healey said.
"I think it was an unfair hit job. I'm incredibly proud of the work done by my administration, and working with the workforce, the unions in these facilities, working with other hospital providers…in the face of bankruptcy, closure of eight hospitals, we were able to save six of those hospitals, 13,000 jobs. Protected the stability of the market for health care, and also, most importantly, drove a really bad guy who's responsible for all of this, out of Massachusetts," Healey said.
"I sued [former Steward CEO] Ralph de la Torre as Attorney General. Why? Because he was not providing financial information. He fought us every step of the way. And in fact, the Attorney General's Office, back in 2015 filed a report laying bare the distress, the financial distress that Stewart was in. So I think that the state and regulators did their job," Healey added.
Watch the entire interview on-demand, and join us on Sunday, December 29 at 8:30 a.m. for part two of our sit-down with the governor, focused on major issues facing the state in 2025.