ICE Out: Mapping and Resisting Local Law Enforcement Collusion with ICE in Massachusetts

From the Executive Summary, developed by Citizens for Juvenile Justice: 

“In the context of aggressive federal immigration enforcement that has shifted away from the border and into our communities, this report examines the role that Massachusetts local law enforcement and justice actors play in federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. State law prohibits local and state authorities from detaining a person solely on the basis of a federal civil immigration detainer. However, the law allows a wide range of communication, information sharing, and collaboration with federal immigration agents. To research this report, Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ) submitted more than 90 public records requests to police, sheriff and district attorney’s offices in Massachusetts. We found that local police, sheriffs, and courthouse staff regularly collaborate, and share information, with federal immigration authorities, thereby acting as ‘force multipliers’ for ICE. This reduces trust in the justice system, short circuits ongoing legal cases, and undermines our democratic processes. We urgently need barriers between local law enforcement and the federal policing apparatus at this moment.”