According to recent data, the sanctuary city of Boston, Massachusetts protected over 100 criminal illegal immigrants from ICE arrest and deportation last year.
Since 2014, Boston has implemented a sanctuary city policy that forbids law enforcement and ICE agents from working together. This effectively ensures that illegal aliens who are detained on local criminal charges are released back into the community instead of turned over to the agency.
According to data revealed by Sean Cotter of the Boston Herald, Mayor Michelle Wu’s sanctuary city policy in Boston permitted more than 100 criminal illegal aliens to avoid being apprehended and deported by ICE agents last year.
Boston officials initially asserted that just 12 criminal illegal aliens had been protected from deportation and arrest in the entirety of 2022, but ICE officials refuted that claim, providing their own data and outlining how the city’s law enforcement has continued to refuse to cooperate with the agency.
The Boston Herald was informed by ICE Boston authorities that “the ability of ERO to preserve public safety and carry out its mandate is undermined when law enforcement agencies disregard immigration detainers and release severe criminal offenders onto the streets.”
In the meantime, the Boston Police Commissioner strengthened the city’s sanctuary policy, saying in a statement to the Boston Herald:
“The Boston Police Department is still dedicated to upholding the Boston Trust Act and fostering links with each of our communities. The immigrant community in Boston should feel secure in contacting the Boston Police Department and reporting crimes.”
“The so-called “sanctuary country” strategy that President Joe Biden’s administration is enforcing across the country has caused ICE to drastically reduce the number of detainers filed to demand custody of criminal illegal aliens.”
Less than 79,000 detainers were issued by ICE agents in Fiscal Year 2022 for illegal aliens who had committed crimes, a 56 percent decrease from Fiscal Year 2018’s total.
Less than 145,000 illegal aliens who have been detained for crimes in the U.S. since Biden assumed office have had detention requests made by DHS. Comparatively speaking, the Trump admin. issued 20,000 more ICE detainers in Fiscal Year 2019 than Biden did in his first two years in office.
The dramatic decrease in ICE detainers issued by DHS means that illegal aliens accused of crimes like murder, kidnapping, robbery, assault, or sexual abuse are remaining in the country while their cases are being tried after they have been found guilty, or while they are serving their sentences.
