"Detainer requests are used by ICE when the agency becomes aware of "removable aliens" that are being held by local law enforcement officials. ICE regularly lodges these requests with local police departments to notify them that a person in their custody is able to be deported. They ask that local police hold the person in question for extra time beyond when they would normally be released so that ICE officers can assume custody of them before they are released back into their communities."
"But many jurisdictions across America, including Boston, have laws on the books that limit how local police can interact with federal officials when it comes to civil immigration enforcement. These are often referred to as "sanctuary" policies. Under the Boston Trust Act, BPD is prohibited from detaining people solely because ICE has filed a detainer request. The department does not enforce immigration law and officers do not ask about the immigration status of people they interact with."
The Boston Police Department received 57 ICE detainer requests in 2025 and did not act on any. Commissioner Cox sent a letter to the city clerk listing the date and method of receipt for each request and did not identify detainees. ICE uses detainer requests to ask local agencies to hold individuals for transfer to federal custody. Boston law and the Boston Trust Act prohibit detaining people solely because of ICE requests, and officers do not inquire about immigration status. A 2017 Supreme Judicial Court ruling also bars holding people solely on immigration detainers. ICE continues to file detainers despite these limitations.
Read at Boston.com
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