Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials cited Massachusetts’ policy to force federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement agencies to respond to Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s assertion that the state is not a “sanctuary state.” He said he is limiting cooperation with the government.

Healey, who has presided over the state’s staggering illegal immigration crisis since taking office in 2023, defended the government’s massive spending on emergency shelter housing for immigrants and other homeless people. during the interview With the Boston Herald. The Democratic governor also pushed back against conservative criticism that Massachusetts has policies in place that protect illegal immigrant criminals. (RELATED: ‘Depraved’: ICE confirms man accused of burning woman alive on subway is illegal immigrant who was previously deported)

“We are not a sanctuary state,” Healy told the paper. “With limited budgets, our emergency shelter system was designed to serve Massachusetts families facing homelessness and housing instability who are in need of temporary shelter.”

The governor said he believes “violent criminals who are not here legally should be deported” and that federal and local law enforcement officials should work together to achieve this goal. But he added that he didn’t like the idea of ​​”turning himself in.” All they do is round up people who are staying in hotels, suspected of being in the country illegally, or working there, and then deport them all without going through the formalities. ”

But Todd Lyons, director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston field office, said Massachusetts “could do more to rid its neighborhoods of egregious foreign-born security threats.” In custody.” follow up comment In the Boston Herald. Although he did not directly address the Democratic governor’s comments,Lyons noted that there are “so many cities and municipalities” in the state that openly promote sanctuary policies.

Lyons went on to tell the paper that state police’s inability to cooperate with ERO and Massachusetts authorities’ failure to share information, including vehicle registration data, is a “huge problem.” Asked about Healy’s comments about hotel arrests, Lyons said deportation officers “show up at hotels, shelters, and other places just to round up people who may be in the country illegally.” There has never been,” he said.

There is no formal definition of a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, but it is generally considered a city or municipality where local law enforcement has limited ability to cooperate or assist federal immigration authorities. This typically takes the form of laws or court decisions that primarily prohibit local authorities from notifying ICE of the detention of illegal immigrants or detaining them until ICE officers can arrive on the scene and make the arrest. Take.

The Center for Immigration Studies is a Washington, DC-based organization that advocates for stricter immigration laws. List Massachusetts It positions itself as a sanctuary state, pointing in particular to a 2017 court decision that prohibited local officials from arresting and detaining individuals solely on the basis of their immigration status. Other organizations such as America First Legal identified Healy. As a purveyor of sanctuary policy.

Many local governments in the state have also limited their cooperation with ICE. Amherst, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Newton, Northampton, Somerville everything is labeled In the past, it served as a protected area and was even used by the mayor of Boston. recently reasserted The city was treated as a sanctuary following President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.

The immigration crisis under the outgoing Biden administration is hitting Massachusetts particularly hard. The state is home to about 355,000 illegal immigrants and other inadmissible aliens, with about 50,000 arriving since 2021. A state commission report released in November predicted the state would spend more than $1 billion on protections for immigrants and other families in fiscal year 2025.

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