Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey received backing from eight Haverhill officials.
The federal appeals court case, in which Haverhill leaders this week took sides, has for now been decided in favor of those opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration order.
A panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused Thursday to reinstate Trump’s executive order, banning citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. The case could move now to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mayor James J. Fiorentini and seven out of nine city councilors signed a letter this week supporting Massachusetts Attorney General Maura’s Healey efforts. Healey joined 18 other attorneys general in filing a friend of the court brief in support of Washington and Minnesota in their federal lawsuit challenging Trump’s order.
“My office challenged this reckless and discriminatory executive order to protect the residents, economic vitality and basic values of Massachusetts,” Healey said in a statement after the ruling. “I stand with state attorneys general united in our commitment to hold this administration accountable to the laws and the people of this country.”
The three-judge panel, ruling unanimously against the White House, included William C. Canby Jr., appointed by President Jimmy Carter; Richard R. Clifton, appointed by President George W. Bush; and Michelle T. Friedland, appointed by President Barack Obama.
Councilors signing the letter were President John A. Michitson, Vice President Melinda E. Barrett, Andy Vargas, Joseph J. Bevilacqua, Colin F. LePage, Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien and Thomas J. Sullivan.
“With members of our federal delegation, we stand united in support of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s decision to challenge President Trump’s executive order on immigration,” the letter read. “We echo the sentiments of Governor Charlie Baker in expressing opposition to this executive order. We feel this order is in contradiction with the most fundamental American values of freedom, equality and the pursuit of happiness.”
Former Haverhill mayor and city councilor William H. Ryan criticized the city’s intervention.
“The city leaders should tend to city business. We have lots of problems in the city,” said Ryan, who is also chairman of the Haverhill Republican City Committee. “They have a right to do that, but they should be paying attention to local issues.”
It sure is a slippery slope…… and to think that the Mayor and most of the City Council have been drinking the Kool-Aid is rather disappointing to say the least! When are our elected officials going to think of their constituents, —- we who have been paying taxes and supporting the City of Haverhill for all of these years? Now that’s a novel idea! Is everyone depending on the tooth fairy for money to support these interlopers?
I am guessing there are no homeless children and families or poor people at risk in Haverhill. Because if there are,I would imagine the “city leaders” would be focusing on helping them instead of people from another country. After all the people in Haverhill are citizens of this country in all likelihood.
Sadly, the court is saying that people from other countries who have never been here, are now granted legal due process protection which, until today, was guaranteed to American citizens. This is a dangerous slippery slope.
Jack Haverhill your so full of crap. But , worse your a conspiracy theorist and fear monger.
Soooooo, unbecoming, and unmanly when an American male is so afraid of everyone different.
Twisted , insignificant, non-entity of a soul.
Actually Joe, He is right. The silence was deafening on those issues by the so called “city leaders” . Either you speak out about all these issues or speak nothing. To pick and choose your outrage is being a hypocrite and a opportunist.
Hi Jack, you realize that Joe Citizen is actually Mayor Failurentini, don’t you?
Whenever he comments here it’s to call someone names instead of debating the topic being discussed. Like all democrats, it’s impossible to defend literally every public policy position of progressive liberals, so name calling is all they have left. As you know, it’s an election year for Mayor Taxman. He’s in full blown panic mode on how to silence and discredit folks like you and me who follow closely how he is incompetently managing the city.
When it comes to the refugee issue, and the issue of criminal trespassers in this country illegally, Joe, I mean Jimmy, has taken to the classic liberal tactic of trying to discredit someone’s position by branding them a “racist”…using phrases of the folks being discussed as “different” or even their using “skin color” as he’s done here several times. It’s absolutely hilarious. That’s what we get for having just experienced 8 years under the worst president in history whose defenders were handcuffed in defending his public policy decisions and were only left with being able attack those opposed to his decisions, not on the merits of Barry’s decisions, but instead deflecting away from them at every opportunity and branding folks as racists for even daring to speak against him. It didn’t work then, and it certainly won’t work now, but it’s so fun watching brain dead liberals like Mayor Taxman use that tactic, as if it somehow it has any credibility.
Sure. I know the Mayor is a troll. Him and his fellow politicos extorted the local paper into shutting down their blog as far too many people were talking the truth about him and other politicos. They think we are stupid and still can’t figure out why Trump won and lost almost 1k seats nationwide for his demonizing Dem party.
I mean look, they kept Pelosi and the same ole’ leadership types. Even here in Haverhill their local committee is full of the same hacks as always same as the Republicans locally too. Ryan is still there with his cronies. And they wonder why people are pissed off.
You boys really think the mayor has time to respond to your typical trump party line bullet points? As for Joe citizen if you read his comments you would definitely not consider a liberal.its funny how you trump lackys go that route to discredit people. I guess the saying is true. You can’t fix stupid!
Has anyone noticed that Mayor Failurentini has yet to deliver the annual State of the City address? This is always done in the month of January. But he’s got time to spend on this national issue? The city has so many problems under his watch it looks like he’s no longer going to comment about how badly he has mismanaged literally every aspect of the city.
Within the past 6 months the City of Haverhill has made “National News” twice and “Boston Regional News” once. Haverhill made National News during the election when the mayor went out of his way to deny a city taxpayer his Constitutional rights to Free Speech when he threatened this property owner with fines if he did not remove signs from his yard for the candidate the mayor opposed. Where were the “Haverhill leaders” on this issue right in the city they supposedly represent?
Several months ago the City of Haverhill again made National News again when two criminal trespassers in this country illegally dragged a teenage girl into the woods at a city park and raped her. Senators from all over the country were discussing this issue, yet “Haverhill leaders” said nothing. This included the entire female delegation, including a female Haverhill state rep who is the Co-Chairman for the Legislature’s committee on public safety. But this rep did just sponsor legislation to protect dogs and cats when they end up at MSPCA’s throughout Massachusetts. Apparently dogs and cats are more important than teenage girls.
The city made Boston regional news when the mayor threatened and tried to intimidate a school committee member unless she voted on an issue in the way he wanted. Where were the “Haverhill leaders” speaking out to protect her rights from the city’s bully mayor???
Using the term “Haverhill leaders” in this article is an absolute joke.
The US will go broke supporting people coming into this country. Don’t we have enough problems in the US and in Haverhill without looking for more trouble? A POX on all of our City politicians for taking up the cause of immigrants over its own citizens who are forced to pay for people who really don’t belong here. The City of Haverhill has all sorts of problems that don’t appear to be able to be resolvable; yet, we can hardly wait to import more problems. Unbelievable!
This is not the problem of one party or another, it is everyone’s problem.
Bill Ryan there’s a reason you lost. Get lost
The Republican Governor has plenty of things on his plate, and he didn’t have any problem expressing his concerns, nor did anyone tell him to pay attention to state matters. Seems like the source of the opinions is the real concern for some.
Good point Frank, however the article wasn’t about Charlie Baker, if you read it you would see that it was city councilors grandstanding.
You are correct, the governor has many things on his plate and the past practices of government in this state have created the full plate.
Do you have room at your house and are you willing to support a family?
Move along Frank, stop looking for an argument.