LYNN– In a unanimous vote, the city of Lynn became a member of the North Shore Resolutions Project, a movement created to “resist the wholesale destruction of our federal government and the attempt to consolidate power among a small group of wealthy individuals who want to use our government to enrich themselves.”
During Tuesday night’s City Council Meeting, Councilor Brian LaPierre, who has been an outspoken advocate for immigrant protections in Lynn, introduced the resolution with a passionate speech describing why he believed such action was necessary.
He called it “a travesty that we have to take up such resolutions these days in our government,” especially after what he described as “ICE overreach” involving a Lynn school department employee who was threatened with detention and deportation.
LaPierre explained that the community rallied around Mariola Perez, a single mother and Lynn school worker, during a vigil attended by “a couple hundred, if not more” residents.
According to LaPierre, community pressure helped secure “her stay of deportation extended until at least this November.”
He said the situation demonstrated both the fear immigrant families are living under and the power of collective action. “It’s examples like this that not only unite our community, but they also galvanize that community,” he said.
The resolution itself was submitted by activist Marilyn Regan, a member of the Massachusetts North Shore Resolutions Project.
Regan said she chose Lynn because she lives in the city.
“I’ve seen what’s going on,” she said.
Regan specifically referenced immigrants being detained by federal authorities, adding, “Grabbing people off the streets, it infuriates me.”
Regan described how the effort began through local activism and organizing. She said the project was inspired, in part, by political strategist Simon Rosenberg and national organizing efforts spreading across the country.
“It’s all over the country, and they’re starting on the North Shore,” she explained. The resolutions, she emphasized, are not laws but public declarations meant to mobilize people and pressure elected officials.
“It’s almost like a form of protest, speaking out,” Regan said. “The more people who speak out, the more people who protest… It’s just accumulating more and more people, pushing back.”
A major focus of the discussion centered on the fear that immigrant families in Lynn are experiencing.
LaPierre pointed to a dramatic decline in school enrollment, saying “nearly 500 children have simply disappeared from our classroom rosters.” He blamed what he called “federal overreach” and immigration crackdowns that have left families fearful of interacting with schools and government institutions.
“Can you imagine the feeling of insecurity,” he asked, “if you were coming to school every day to come home to a parent who may have been snatched by ICE?”
LaPierre said the immigrants being targeted are “hardworking individuals who are educated, trying to make a living in a very difficult economy.”
He added, “They have mouths to feed and can’t show up for work because they are in fear of what may happen to them.”
The resolution also highlighted Lynn’s long immigrant history and abolitionist roots.
In language later amended during the meeting to replace the word “slavery” with “enslavement,” the resolution stated that Lynn “played a central role in the abolitionist movement to end enslavement, establishing safe houses for those who escaped slavery as part of the Underground Railroad.”
Sheila O’Neil, former president of the Lynn Teachers Union, said Lynn has already shown leadership on immigrant protections and that this resolution is “another official step that shows it.”
Regan praised the city for posting signs at school entrances limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement and argued that local governments must continue applying pressure at higher levels of government.
“We need to push our people who are elected to say, you need to step up and open your mouths and continue to push,” she said.
The resolution condemned actions by ICE and other federal agencies, urged city officials to protect residents, and called on Massachusetts’ congressional delegation to defend constitutional protections and separation of powers.
It also praised Governor Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell for “their vigorous defense of our rights.”
With the minor change of wording, the resolution passed unanimously, with every councilor voting in favor. The vote represented not only a symbolic gesture but also a public statement about the kind of community Lynn wants to be.
As LaPierre concluded, “Anyone who knows Lynn, knows we are a city of immigrants.”
