MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL WORKS ON BEHALF OF UNDOCUMENTED  IMMIGRANTS Over the past few months, the Attorney General of Massachusetts has been suing employers who take advantage of undocumented immigrants. The Attorney General, Thomas F. Reilly, says that the effort is necessary because it is so easy for employers to abuse undocumented workers by holding the threat of deportation over them. The Attorney General’s office promises to not report people it assists to the INS.
This effort is not without its critics. Some say that it flies in the face of federal immigration law, and others add that the message sent by the selective enforcement of laws is problematic. Despite its unpopularity in some circles, the effort has met with praise from advocates, and has been copied by officials in California.
Reilly, himself the son of Irish immigrants, defends his office’s position by saying that he is more concerned about protecting the workers than with prosecuting immigration violations. He says that “allowing people to be exploited and then punish them if they report it - that doesn't seem right to me, and that's how I deal with it.” The Attorney General’s office has held 30 community meetings to tell immigrants about their services, and is translating information into a wide variety of languages.
One area of concern, however, is that even though the Attorney General does not report undocumented workers to the INS, by assisting them publicity is created, and once the INS becomes aware of an undocumented immigrant, it does investigate the situation, and will deport him or her.
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