The Mass Brief

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Good morning. Here's what Massachusetts needs to know today.

The Lead

Healey Draws a Line on ICE — and Dares the Feds to Sue

The Trump administration is threatening to haul Massachusetts into court over something you might not expect: license plates. Specifically, the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles has been refusing to issue confidential, undercover plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's deportation arm — the Enforcement and Removal Operations division — while continuing to provide them to other federal law enforcement agencies, including ICE's own criminal investigations unit, Homeland Security Investigations.

The DOJ's Brett Shumate sent a letter to Governor Maura Healey this week calling the policy "deeply dangerous" and "blatantly unlawful," and warning that the feds will seek a court order if the RMV doesn't stand down. Healey's office fired back without blinking: "Any federal, state, or local agency engaging in legitimate criminal law enforcement work can receive a confidential plate. We all know that's not what ICE is doing." The distinction the state is drawing is real — ERO is the deportation machine, HSI investigates cartels and trafficking — but whether courts will see it as a valid constitutional line is another question entirely. Expect a lawsuit, and expect this to become a centerpiece of Healey's reelection campaign. She's been polling underwater lately (more on that below), and standing firm against Trump plays well with the Democratic base she'll need energized come November.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

🎣 Healey Asks Navy to Help Solve the Lily Jean Mystery

Four months after the fishing vessel Lily Jean went down off Cape Ann with seven people aboard, Governor Healey has written to Navy Secretary Hung Cao asking for help recovering a video hard drive from the wreck that could explain what happened. She's also asking the Navy to assess whether the remains of the six still-missing crew members could be retrieved. It's a long shot — the wreck is deep, the mission is dangerous and expensive — but the families deserve answers, and so does anyone who fishes these waters.

Boston Globe →

📊 Healey Underwater in New Polling — But Don't Panic Yet

A MassINC Polling Group survey out this week finds only 39% of Massachusetts voters view Healey favorably, compared to 45% unfavorable — a troubling number for a sitting governor heading into reelection. A separate Emerson poll is slightly better at 45/35, but still short of a majority. Her standing among Democrats and left-leaning independents is much stronger (63% favorable), but independent voters are the ones who will decide the race. Worth watching, but not yet worth the hyperventilating — Deval Patrick looked rough at this point in 2010 and still won.

CommonWealth Beacon →

🏛️ Boston's Budget Standoff Gets Real

Mayor Michelle Wu isn't budging on her $4.9 billion budget proposal — the leanest spending plan since the post-financial-crisis era — and some Boston City Council members are now openly discussing the nuclear option: rejecting it outright. The council has until June 10 to act. They can tweak line items but can't increase the total, so rejection would essentially force Wu back to the table. She's already told them that won't happen. Something has to give, and with schools and services on the line, this is a fight worth following closely.

Boston.com →

🚒 Lowell Eyes Firefighter Cuts as Budget Pressure Mounts

Lowell's proposed city budget would eliminate six firefighter positions — on top of 13 existing vacancies and 13 more out on injury or illness. Do the math: the department could effectively be down nearly a third of its force. Union president Anthony Leite pointed to this month's rapid succession of house fires during high winds as a preview of what thinly stretched crews look like in action. The city council and public weigh in at the next council meeting on May 26.

WBZ / CBS Boston →

⚖️ AG Campbell's Brother Goes to Trial Monday

The trial of Alvin Campbell Jr. — older brother of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell — begins Monday in Suffolk Superior Court. He's charged with raping nine women, with prosecutors alleging he impersonated Uber drivers to lure intoxicated victims and recorded the assaults on his phone. Campbell has maintained the encounters were consensual. He's been held without bail since his 2020 arrest, and the case has shadowed the AG's tenure throughout. Expect significant attention on this trial in the weeks ahead.

Boston Globe →

🌿 A Silver Lining for Hampshire College's Land

Hampshire College may be closing, but there's a hopeful plan for its surrounding landscape. The Trustees of Reservations and the Amherst-based Kestrel Land Trust announced a proposal to permanently conserve the forests, fields, and farmland around the campus core — including the beloved Hampshire Farm and Red Barn — while still allowing for some housing and redevelopment. It's a thoughtful approach to a painful closure, and exactly the kind of conservation partnership that can turn a community loss into something lasting.

Boston Globe →

Worth Your Attention

Lowell City Council Meeting — May 26: The public gets its chance to weigh in on proposed budget cuts, including the six firefighter positions. WBZ / CBS Boston →

BU Law Student Dangerousness Hearing — May 21: Maximillien Sajous, accused of sending hundreds of threatening emails and posting menacing social media content after receiving a $20,000 tuition bill, returns to Brighton Municipal Court. Universal Hub →

Boston City Council Budget Deadline — June 10: The council must accept, reject, or amend Mayor Wu's $4.9 billion spending plan by this date. Watch for public hearings between now and then. Boston.com →

FY2027 Budget Tracker

Current stage: House floor debate

Governor's Budget (H2) — filed

House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor

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