Libertarian Party of Massachusetts statement on amendment #1147 to S.4  05/24/2018

The Libertarian Party believes that every citizen has the right to associate with whomever they choose, regardless of where that person is born. That millions of Americans have chosen to do so attests to the fundamental value of freedom of association.

When a peaceful activity is made illegal by law, we oppose the law and do not consider violation of that law to be immoral. The amendment to the state budget to not expend state resources on enforcing misguided and cruel Federal mandates is morally sound.

The amendment is only controversial because fear of immigrants has been praised and encouraged in gullible voters in order to boost vote totals for Republican candidates. The economic benefits, low crime rates, and low use of public resources of immigrants, legal or not, are well documented by dispassionate analysts. But none of this matters for the false dichotomy that defines the mythical division between Democrats and Republicans.

Any effort to oppose the cruelty now being inflicted on decent people should be applauded. The federal government has destroyed peaceful and hard-working families by deporting their breadwinners and has ripped children from the arms of Central American mothers who are desperate for asylum from unfathomable violence.  Federal law says that these actions of Federal law enforcement agents are not crimes, but in reality, they are crimes against humanity. The efforts of Massachusetts legislators to refuse to abet this disgraceful campaign of terror is highly praiseworthy.

It is completely consistent with libertarianism to oppose a shameful police state devoted to the persecution of foreign-born persons who have done nothing wrong but who have had their peaceful behavior defined as criminal activity by unjust laws.