Massachusetts governor vows to refuse Trump deportation requests: 'Absolutely not'

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said after President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the White House race that police in her state will not help with "mass deportations."

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell asked her in an interview whether Massachusetts State Police would help if the incoming Trump administration asked, to which Gov. Healey responded, "absolutely not."

"I do think it's important that we all recognize that there's gonna be a lot of pressure on states and state officials," she added. "And I can assure you, we're gonna work really hard to deliver."

Trump campaigned on a plan to launch the largest deportation program in U.S. history. He said at the Republican National Convention in July it would keep families "safe."

Gov. Healey noted in her interview that every "tool" needs to be used to protect Massachusetts residents.

"I think that the key here is that every tool in the toolbox has gotta be used to protect our citizens, to protect our residents and protect our states, and certainly to hold the line on democracy and the rule of law as a basic principle," she said.

The governor challenged multiple immigration-related actions by the first Trump administration when she was Massachusetts attorney general. A "different situation" in the courts than what existed in 2016 will lead people to take action in other ways, according to Gov. Healey.

"Some realities also need to be, you know, noted. And that is, in 2016, we had a very different situation in the courts," she told O'Donnell. "And while I'm sure there may be litigation ahead, you know, there's a lot of other ways that people are going to act and need to act for the sake of their states and their residents."

The governor noted that "regulatory authority," "executive powers" and state legislation are some of those channels.

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