In Montpelier, Vt., officials in July 2016 enacted a “fair and impartial policing’’ policy with the following guideline: Officials will not hold individuals based solely on a detainer issued by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Same thing goes in Northampton: In August 2014, that Massachusetts city’s mayor issued an executive order stating that local officials will not honor an ICE detainer that is not for a crime and not issued by a judge. Under a Boston Trust Act also issued in August 2014, officials in Boston declared they would not honor an ICE detainer without a criminal warrant.
They are known as Sanctuary Cities, and ICE issued a report Tuesday that sought to put them and dozens of others from across the country in the spotlight, naming them as communities that have “enacted policies which limit cooperation with ICE.’’
President Trump, who has made immigration enforcement a priority, has threatened to cut off federal funding to communities that fail to assist federal immigration enforcement. The president issued an executive order in January that called on the government to identify which jurisdictions have failed to comply.
In addition to Montpelier, Northampton, and Boston, other regional communities that fall under the jurisdiction of ICE’s Boston office and made the list are: Amherst, Somerville, and Cambridge, as well as East Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Providence, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
Officials from those communities have said they refuse to enforce immigration laws, which is a civil offense, because it is the federal government’s duty and it would compromise their ability to build trust with local communities.
Their argument is that immigrants would be in fear of cooperating with local police in reporting crimes and other public safety matters if they thought they could be deported.
The ICE report, which identified 118 municipalities nationwide, does not name other Massachusetts communities that identify as Sanctuary Cities, such as Lawrence and Chelsea. But, the report adds that the list is incomplete and could be updated.
In February, Chelsea and Lawrence joined in a lawsuit that seeks a federal judge’s declaration that they are not in violation of any federal law by declaring themselves as Sanctuary Cities, and that it would be unlawful for the president to withhold funding based on their decision to not assist immigration authorities. That case is pending.
Milton J. Valencia can be reached at milton.valencia-@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @miltonvalencia.