'Happy Hunting': Documents Reveal Close Ties Between ICE And Boston Police

October 25, 2019 Updated Oct 26, 2019 8:29 AM
Shannon Dooling

UPDATE: After this story was published, Boston city and police officials said on Friday Sgt. Det. Gallagher was removed from his role as the force's "Task Force Officer."

There is a regular pattern of communication between Boston police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that includes emails regarding arrests for low-level offenses like trespassing and shoplifting, according to documents obtained by WBUR.

More than 800 pages of documents obtained by WBUR draw into question just how aligned the Boston Police Department's practices are with the public message coming from Mayor Marty Walsh's office — namely, that city police limit cooperation with ICE to only cases involving violent crimes and suspected felons.

'He Wants To Join Team America'

Walsh has been adamant that Boston police are not immigration officials and will not enforce federal immigration laws. And yet, an official conduit for cooperation does exist between BPD and ICE in the form of a single officer: BPD's ICE 'Task Force Officer." The TFO is a designated role trained to perform federal law enforcement duties.

In emails reviewed by WBUR, Boston police and federal immigration officials regularly offer information back and forth between the agencies. Often, the agencies are comparing arrest records of individuals accused of non-felony violations — like operating a vehicle without a license and shoplifting — to see if they have potential civil immigration violations, and vice versa.

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