Even in Massachusetts, Normalizing Illegal Aliens Is a Hard Sell

The Boston Globe has a problem. The newspaper is a longtime advocate for illegal aliens, yet a poll it conducted right before the state Senate took up a bill already passed in the House that will allow illegals to get driver's licenses showed a surprisingly substantial amount of opposition in the notoriously progressive state.

"A narrow plurality, 47%, of respondents to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll said they oppose the legislation," the paper reported May 2. "Following close behind, 46% said they support the legislation, leaving about 7% who said they were unsure. The close results for overall approval and disapproval were within the survey’s 3.5-percentage-point margin of error."

The bill passed the Senate on May 5, leaving markedly non-conservative Republican Gov. Charlie Baker with a decision to make.

Uncomfortable Opposition

The new poll reveals the growing divide between American citizens and the various planks of this nation’s ruling establishment. Even in famously leftist Massachusetts, many residents are expressing frustration over their state government catering to foreigners living in their communities illegally.

This is the kind of quote that makes Democrats break into a sweat. From The Globe’s May 1 report on the poll results:

“’I don’t think undocumented people should have any rights. They are here illegally,’ [James] Connors, a 61-year-old Democrat and municipal worker, said. ‘I care about people and I think people should have a way to become legal citizens....  If they can make some kind of process like DACA to make them legal, then I would agree with them getting the license.’”

Connors, a Democrat, uses all the politically correct terms (undocumented) and expresses all the proper feelings, yet he still says illegal aliens should not “have any rights,” or at least not those extended only to citizens.

As the poll shows, there are a lot more who agree with him.

The Globe, it goes without saying, is an emphatic backer of granting driver’s licenses to illegals. It employs a columnist who proudly states she was born and raised in Mexico whose only job apparently is to advocate for recent immigrants and illegal aliens.

Marcela Garcia has been pushing the driver’s license bill for years. Way back in 2014 she wrote of proposed legislation:

“If the bill gains support, it would reflect a changing Massachusetts political climate, one that acknowledges the growing reality and practical needs of the undocumented workforce with the added benefit of protecting other drivers on the road....

[A]s the bill is fine-tuned, the larger political question looms: When it comes to undocumented workers, will it be outrage or acceptance? As far as providing a common-sense answer to making the roads safer, the momentum in Massachusetts is toward acceptance.”

Every sheriff or police chief in the ten largest towns in Massachusetts supports giving illegal aliens driver's licenses. A group called The Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police counts 38 police chiefs around the state as members.

Police: We Are the Bad Guys

Brian Kyes, Police Chief of Chelsea, is president of the organization. In January, he was quoted by The Boston Herald giving the familiar progressive argument of police officials needing to be on friendlier terms with racial minorities as justification for kowtowing to lawbreakers.

“Kyes noted that this bill would also serve to build trust between police and the communities they serve, particularly in majority-minority cities like Chelsea,” The Herald wrote. “Law enforcement, certainly over 2020, 2021, was unfortunately painted in a very negative light,” Kyes told the paper. “We have to continue to work on building the trust that we’ve established every single day, every single shift, every single hour, every single interaction.”

There are 37 Democrats and three Republicans in the Massachusetts State Senate. “For many immigrants across our commonwealth, this legislation is personal,” Senate President Karen E. Spilka said in late April, The Globe reports. “Many of you have shared your stories, and I want you to know: We hear you.”

The bill passed on May 5 by a 32-8 tally. Five Democrats actually voted against it.

Gov. Baker, who has regularly been denounced as a RINO in national Republican circles, has stated his reluctance to sign but has not announced a decision yet. He has spoken of having grave concerns about how the measure would affect election security.

“This license we’re talking about is not a privilege-to-drive card, which is what they have in a bunch of other states. It looks exactly like a Massachusetts driver’s license,” Baker told Boston Public Radio in March, The Globe noted. “You can’t tell the difference between this and a regular one.”

The big takeaway from all this is the surprising poll result. Even Democrat citizens in Massachusetts are beginning to figure out that the ruling establishment does not put their interests first.