Governor Tweaks Mass. Immigrant Detainment Policy

Boston, MA - Massachusetts State Police may now habitually check with the feds to determine the status of immigrant suspects held on criminal charges, checking whether they are a "high priority target" for federal immigration authorities.

That's according to The Boston Globe, which identifies this as a "major policy shift" under Gov. Charlie Baker.

To be clear, the change still does not mean state troopers can arrest someone or take them into custody solely for immigration issues. Rather, "they will be allowed to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement directly to learn whether ICE considers the person a priority target," Baker's administration said in a statement released to the Globe.

In that statement, Baker told the Globe, "troopers can help federal law enforcement combat terrorism, gangs, and other criminal activity" under the policy change, designed to keep in step with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Priority Enforcement Program.

Meanwhile, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh made clear this would not impact city policing policy, saying in a statement shared with Patch:

"In Boston we believe that the job of our police officers is to keep our neighborhoods safe and our focus will continue to be on building trust between communities and local law enforcement. Our police officers do not enforce immigration laws, and we will continue our policy to not detain anyone for immigration purposes that is otherwise eligible for release. We want all residents of our city to feel comfortable engaging with our police officers in their neighborhoods to report crimes and cooperate in criminal investigations."

Read the full story from The Boston Globe here.