By Alex Eng, deputy city editor
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey criticized President Donald J. Trump’s travel ban and called for local engagement in politics during a town hall hosted at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Malden last Thursday.
Healey said Trump’s election threatened the security of immigrants in and outside of Massachusetts to an audience of about 500 people.
“We have so many people who are hurt and marginalized by this election,” Healey said. “We are a nation of immigrants, but unfortunately, so many people have felt capitulated by [Trump’s] power and marginalized.”
Healey also said Trump’s second travel ban, which was struck down by a federal judge in Hawaii last week, is unconstitutional and endangers the public as the administration continues to push for the policy despite judicial setbacks.
“That kind of reckless, chaotic and destructive result is what really galls me about the direction that this president has taken,” Healey said. “[Trump] is wrong. He’s harmful, and more than anything, the fear and anxiety that [the ban has] created pervasively across all immigrant communities is so undermining to justice.”
She also said Trump’s dismissal of attorneys involved in opposing the ban as “so-called judges” is insulting.
“I, as a lawyer, don’t take lightly someone who would denigrate the judiciary and refer to people as ‘so-called judges,’” Healey said. “It’s certainly not good when it’s coming from the President of the United States.”
The best way for people to oppose Trump’s administration and policies is to become politically active, Healey said.
“He’s going to continue to try to make good on his outrageous and unconstitutional campaign promises,” she said. “This is an administration that is not actually burdened by or interested in the least by the vast data of information. Right now, we gotta stay organized, stay hungry and stay at it.”
Metro North Democrats, a coalition of Democratic city committees from Malden, Wakefield, Melrose and other cities north of Boston, organized the event to increase state and local community engagement following Trump’s election.
“We were all feeling shell-shocked, and also pretty scared,” said Amanda Smith, Vice-Chair of the Malden Democratic city committee. “Like so many other people, we were looking for ways to take action despite our fears.”
Bringing Healey to Malden was an opportunity for residents to hear from key leaders, ask them questions and organize, attendees said.
“I think it’s important to organize at the most local levels possible, because we’re not going to get anything done just by shouting at Trump’s national policies on Facebook,” said Timothy Walters, 34 year-old Malden resident. “We need to take a look at what we can do locally in our state, like others are doing in other states, to create a coherent national resistance.”
Healey also answered questions on local issues such as drug addiction treatment, marijuana legalization and an assault weapons ban in Massachusetts, but she tied the discussion back to mounting a locally-supported resistance to the president.
“Remember that the power and the things that make this country great reside in the power of the people,” Healey said. “People like yourselves who are willing to engage, give your voices, stand up and speak out [are] that power which will power us through all that will come.”
