XIARHOS OUTLINES AGGRESSIVE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR 2025-2026

January 14, 2025

BOSTON – Just a few weeks into his third term of office, State Representative Steve Xiarhos (R – 5^th Barnstable) has been busy filing legislation to oppose state sanctuary and migrant spending policies and to make Massachusetts safer.

Xiarhos has been a vocal critic of the state’s use of the “Right to Shelter Law” to backstop hundreds of millions of dollars of state spending to fund migrant housing and support. According to Xiarhos, the law never was intended for such purposes, but rather to provide protections to Massachusetts residents in time of need. He has re-filed legislation this session to require that the law only be used to provide benefits to United States citizens.

In addition, Xiarhos has filed legislation to require that state and local officials honor detainer requests for inmates in their custody when requested by federal immigration enforcement officials. He also is pushing for enhanced vetting of migrant populations to weed out known violent criminals who pose a public safety risk, including background checks for those who receive state housing benefits, and he is pushing to require better data sharing between federal, state, and local law enforcement.

“As a grandson of immigrants myself, I emphatically support legal immigration into this country. But, I strongly oppose illegal immigration and the sanctuary policies here in Massachusetts that condone and enable it,” Xiarhos said in a statement. “Due to an open border and callous neglect, immigration into these United States is broken. A palpable sign of that is the number of rapists, violent criminals, and drug dealers who have crossed our border and entered our cities and towns — including right here on Cape Cod. We need smarter state policies to fix the problem, and I am going to fight for better policies on behalf of the Cape Cod residents demanding them.”

As a former Deputy Police Chief, Xiarhos also is pushing for measures to enhance public safety in Massachusetts. New this session, Xiarhos has filed a bill modeled after a recently-passed Florida law, known as the “Halo Act.” The bill would provide greater protections to first responders who are harassed in the line of duty, establishing a 25-foot buffer zone around them if they are threatened and in need of safety measures. Xiarhos also has issued a call to revoke a cashless bail system established statewide last year. In addition, Xiarhos is re-filing several bills to help protect first responders, school officials, and school sports referees on the job, as well as a bill to provide greater protections to corrections officers (“Matt’s Law”). And, he is continuing his push to provide greater protections to police dogs on the job through enhancements to “Nero’s Law,” and to provide care for police dogs in their retirement years (known as “Dakota’s Law”).

“I’m proud of these bills and I look forward to pushing for their passage later this legislative session,” Xiarhos said. “I am also keenly interested in exploring ways to make Massachusetts a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family, especially as we approach the upcoming state budget process. As a Gold Star Father, I am always looking for ways to help our veterans. As a former Deputy Chief of Police, I am also always seeking ways to support our first responders. I want to make sure we are supporting public education and protecting our fragile environment, especially our coastal areas and our drinking water. I am pushing for greater state oversight of projects that aim to place infrastructure supporting offshore wind energy in residential neighborhoods on Cape Cod. And, I am always looking for opportunities to promote fiscal transparency and accountability within state government.”

Steve Xiarhos was re-elected to a third term as State Representative in the 5^th Barnstable District in November 2024. The district currently includes the Town of Sandwich and portions of Barnstable and Bourne. As a Gold Star Father, Xiarhos is well known throughout Cape Cod for his civic and charitable work. In particular, he is known for his sponsorship of Big Nick’s Ride for the Fallen, an annual charitable motorcycle ride organized in memory of Xiarhos’ fallen son, United States Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos, who was killed in action in 2009. Xiarhos also served as a law enforcement officer in Yarmouth for four decades before retiring as Yarmouth’s Deputy Chief of Police in late 2019. As a State Representative since 2021, Xiarhos has been recognized for his zealous advocacy on behalf of first responders and veterans, and for his support for fiscally-responsible state policies on behalf of taxpayers.

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