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Democrat Martha Coakley, Moderator Marcela Garcia, United Independent Candidate Evan Falchuk, and Independent Jeff McCormick participate in a forum at Bunker Hill Community College on "Immigration, Justice, and Equality."
(Garrett Quinn/MassLive.com)
BOSTON - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley and independents Evan Falchuk and Jeff McCormick said Tuesday night that they support giving drivers' licenses and in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.
The three voiced similar, pro-immigration views during a forum at Bunker Hill Community College sponsored by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
Republican Charlie Baker and independent Scott Lively did not attend. Organizers said Lively replied late and they were unable to accommodate him.
Eva Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said Baker had confirmed that he would attend. Baker was listed in the forum's promotional flier. When Baker did not show up, organizers waited about 10 minutes, then the forum started without him, with an empty chair.
Baker spokesman Tim Buckley said in an email, "The campaign communicated to the organizers of tonight's event some time ago that Charlie was unable to participate because of a prior commitment."
But Jeff Gross of MIRA and another organizer, approached after the event, said they had no record of a cancellation by Baker.
Coakley said after the debate that she was surprised Baker did not show.
"What it says is a statement about...who do you stand up for, who do you speak for, who do you see, who do you care about, whose voice are you going to champion when you're governor," Coakley said.
The candidates were given the questions in advance, according to moderator Marcela Garcia, an op-ed writer for the Boston Globe.
One of the most passionate moments came when Garcia asked a question about a pilot program run by the federal government training community members to report suspicious community members to law enforcement.
Falchuk listed a number of factors that people were being trained to look for, including someone growing facial hair, wearing traditional Muslim attire, and frequently attending a prayer group.
"This is not the America that we think it is when this is what our government is doing," Falchuk said. "I'm Jewish. I know there were probably laws in lots of countries in Europe that said if you had facial hair you should be discriminated against. Not again. Not here."
Falchuk's grandfather escaped Russia at the end of World War I, after seeing members of his family killed for being Jewish. Falchuk said after the event that he was referring to anti-Jewish laws put in place at various times and places throughout European history that involved government singling out religious practices.
Asked about racial bias in policing, Falchuk and McCormick said the police should wear cameras, so their actions are recorded. Coakley did not take a stance on police cameras, but said there must be a focus on increasing the representation of minorities and women in the police force.
All three said the state should provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. McCormick said immigrants are the state's "job creators." "We ought to try to empower everyone in this Commonwealth to get as high a level of education as is appropriate for them," McCormick said.
Asked afterwards about the impact on job prospects for legal immigrants, McCormick said, "I don't think this is a zero sum game. We have an opportunity to expand the economy, and people with higher skills will do that."
All three candidates support requiring the police to obtain a warrant for probable cause before obtaining data from cell phone providers.
McCormick said the National Security has "greatly overstepped its bounds over the last few years" and he believes there must be clear boundaries in terms of what information law enforcement can obtain without a warrant.
Coakley said she required investigators to obtain warrants in her work as attorney general and as a district attorney. While acknowledging that there sometimes cannot be full transparency in real time, Coakley said, "There never should be anything the government does that shouldn't be reviewable at some time, particularly when someone's life and liberty is at stake."
Coakley said she would also, as governor, urge the federal government to help immigrants – for example, by increasing the number of visas available for skilled workers.
All three candidates expressed concern about the Secure Communities Act, in which state and local police submit the fingerprints of anyone who is arrested to federal immigration officials.
Critics say the program will make illegal immigrants less likely to trust the police and to call them in cases such as domestic violence. Coakley cited mayors who told her the program makes communities less safe. McCormick said the law was "well-intended" but "totally misfired." Falchuk said the federal government should enforce immigration policy itself, not "grab our police for this purpose."
All three candidates said granting drivers licenses to illegal immigrants is a public safety issue. Falchuk said Massachusetts can figure out the logistics by modeling its policy on what is being done in other states.
Coakley, who opposed granting licenses to illegal immigrants in the past, has recently said she is open to the idea. Coakley said she will have someone in her cabinet work to determine the best way to implement drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants. "I believe we can in Massachusetts, and I'm committed to finding a way to do that," she said.