Panels back immigration limit bylaw for Town Meeting

Municipal Regulations Committee · Meeting of October 26, 2026

Stoughton's Municipal Regulations and Intergovernmental Relations committees voted to recommend a bylaw limiting town cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee approved Article 13 by a roll-call vote of 6-1, with Diane Dolan dissenting over concerns Stoughton would be acting alone among surrounding towns. The Municipal Regulations Committee approved it 3-1.

Petitioners Steve Cavey and Michael Horan said the bylaw "basically tracks" the state's 2026 Protect Act and would bar town staff from voluntarily sharing immigration status with federal civil authorities absent a warrant or subpoena. They estimated implementation would take about six months after Town Meeting passage, including up to 90 days of Attorney General review. The Municipal Regulations Committee also unanimously recommended Article 5, re-adopting Chapter 60, Section 62A tax repayment agreements after the Attorney General's Office rejected earlier permissive wording.

Diane Dolan called the fix "clerical."

In the full story:

• Special Town Meeting Article 5: Tax Repayment Agreements
• Special Town Meeting Article 13: Limitation on Municipal Participation in Federal Civil Immigration Enforcement Bylaw
• Committee Minutes Approvals
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,715 words

Source: the Municipal Regulations Committee meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.