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MA: In the dead of night, a Senate surprise. How the tide turned on illegal immigrants

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

In the dead of night, a Senate surprise How the tide turned on illegal immigrants By Noah Bierman Globe Staff / May 29, 2010 It was late Wednesday night, hour 11 of a grueling state budget debate, and senators were arguing over another contentious amendment on illegal immigration. Republicans were hammering Democrats for going too soft. Leading Democrats were quietly pushing to make a deal to quell the criticism. That?s when Senate President Therese Murray banged her gavel ? temporarily freezing action on the floor and effectively changing the course of the immigration debate in Massachusetts. Murray, who had shown little appetite for a headline-grabbing crackdown on illegal immigrants, wanted a new strategy. She set up a late-night meeting with three other senators, where ? over strawberry cream pie, cranberry-lime seltzer, and M&Ms ? the group, mindful of a new poll showing overwhelming public support for barring illegal immigrants from state services ? drafted a stricter crackdown than even the most conservative advocates believed possible...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on June 03, 2010 (boomark / email).