immigrant justice and solidarity
A Welcoming and Just City for All
In a city where nearly 30% of residents are foreign-born, we must be a welcoming city that supports immigrants with inclusive, accessible, and meaningful city resources and services. As City Councilor, I will always be a strong advocate for our undocumented immigrant neighbors in this district and across the Commonwealth. East Boston is a community with a rich immigrant history where many families arrived and stayed in pursuit of the American Dream. Our beautiful diversity from many different nations and different languages is our strength. We must protect and celebrate our varying cultures and how it collectively contributes to the vibrancy of District One.
The abhorrent and immoral practices under the Trump administration led to families torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a community in constant fear. We need to govern with compassion, empathy and humanity at the center of decision-making. In our own backyard, we witnessed targeted ICE arrests in public spaces that made individuals, especially our undocumented brothers and sisters, scared to just simply go to work. As Chief of Staff in the Council office, I worked with local immigration attorneys and partners in the federal government to ensure this individual and his family had access to resources while in detainment. Following this incident, I helped to organize “Know Your Rights” town halls in partnership with Greater Boston Legal Services and a local immigration attorney that were live-streamed on Facebook and translated into Spanish. I fully support the passage of the Safe Communities Act to restore confidence in local public institutions by allowing our police and court officials to focus on public safety without being involved in immigration enforcement.
I will always use my platform to stand with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders. I wrote a resolution in the Boston City Council in solidarity with TPS holders when Governor Baker sought to sign Massachusetts up to the federal Real ID law in October 2018. Holders of these new driver’s licenses needed proof of legal residency, which TPS recipients did not. The Baker administration has decided not to renew their driver’s licenses, causing many to lose their jobs or seriously restrict their economic opportunities. I have already publicly supported the passage of state legislation to ensure the safety of working families by enabling all qualified Massachusetts drivers, regardless of immigration status, to apply for a drivers license. Additionally, I support Municipal ID's for residents regardless of immigration status.
I fully denounce any cooperation with the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) or ICE with the Boston Police Department, especially when it comes to our kids in the Boston Public School system. The sharing of information on minors between Boston Public Schools and federal immigration enforcement is not only immoral but illegal. I first became aware of this school-to-deportation pipeline in 2018 when a student at East Boston High School was wrongfully identified on an incident report as a criminal. Due to this unfair categorization, the student was held by ICE and deported after the record was shared with BRIC. I will continue to call on city leaders, those within BPS, and the BRIC to shut down incident report sharing and any release of student records to ICE via BRIC. There also must be an added layer of oversight and transparency of student advocates that include their parents or guardians, social workers or guidance counselors, principals, and other administrators to ensure there is no mischaracterization of a student ever again.
A Welcoming and Inclusive City Hall
As City Councilor, I would utilize our new budgetary authority to increase meaningful investments in the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement. We should build on the incredible work already taking place including the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense fund, which provides free legal defense for immigrants facing deportation proceedings. Additionally, we need to empower and amplify immigrant voices in City Hall and across Boston. I'd seek to expand the Immigrants Lead Boston program: a 12-week civic engagement course for immigrant residents to become leaders and advocates in the community. I would also work with area organizers and community leaders to identify immigrant residents to serve on city boards and commissions to build a pipeline of leadership directly from the district.
The City of Boston has a long way to go to ensure government services and community outreach are responsive and accessible for all people regardless of what language they speak. We should require all City Hall proceedings — including those in the City Council, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the BPDA — to implement a policy that is inclusive of all languages spoken in Boston. During my time in Councilor Edwards office, I worked extremely hard to organize additional community meetings in places and spaces that were convenient and accessible for those who do not typically interact with city government. We ensured there were adequate translation services, babysitting for families, and food to eat for attendees. I was pleased to see increased investments in the Office of Language Accessibility during the pandemic but would like additional investments to ensure that this office is adequately staffed with the resources necessary for all City meetings.
Welcoming Communities
Last but not least, it's incredibly important that members of the city, state, and federal government provide capacity-building support for immigrant-serving nonprofits or unions, especially as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. I will prioritize increasing resources for organizations already providing immigrant support services like Centro Presente, NUBE, City Life / Vida Urbana, East Boston Community Soup Kitchen, MIRA, ACLU Massachusetts, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, unions like SEIU 32BJ and UNITE HERE Local 26, and many more. I will always be an ally in the fight for racial justice and immigrant rights. I will be intentional and collaborative by proactively reaching out to various leaders and community members to ask what their needs are and will center their priorities in policy and action.
“While in her previous capacity in City Hall, Gabriela has shown an understanding of the importance of immigrant families not just in Boston but in the nation. She has supported immigrant families in their fight for justice and has helped uplift the stories of immigrants that have made Boston and enriched its communities.” - Ana Alonzo, East Boston resident, and National Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Alliance organizer.
“Gabriela Coletta is a tireless champion for the City of Boston. She is a terrific public servant who has dedicated her career to advocating for working families. I’ve seen firsthand her commitment to using her platform to speak up on behalf of communities that have long been overlooked and left behind. She has devoted her time to defending and advancing the rights of immigrant communities. Her bold, principled leadership on behalf of District one is more important now than ever.” – Gilberto Calderin, former U.S. Senate Immigration Specialist.