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Review of Submissions Underway by State Officials
In response to public records requests, state officials have released four filings to the ICE fraud portal, established in March. However, requests for additional records have been denied.
A representative from Governor Maura Healey’s office stated that each submission received is being reviewed and investigated, and they will collaborate with the Attorney General’s office to release further submissions as they become available.
Despite multiple inquiries, the governor’s office did not disclose the total number of submissions received since the portal’s launch in mid-March. This portal has been designed for reporting potential misconduct by federal agents enforcing immigration laws.
The Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office noted that it will defer to the governor’s office, which serves as the custodian of the portal’s submissions. Some complaints may be forwarded to the AG’s office for further examination.
As part of an ongoing transparency effort, the AG’s office released four reports to Boston.com. One significant report involved a lawful permanent resident who detailed being detained by federal agents at Logan International Airport after returning from a trip abroad.
This individual reported enduring over 12 hours of illegal detention and interrogation without food or phone access. They asserted that, despite a thorough search yielding no evidence of wrongdoing, they experienced gross misconduct that violated their civil liberties. Their cell phone, taken by immigration officials, has not yet been returned, according to the report.
Other reports documented various incidents involving ICE agents. For instance, on March 9, a resident from Cohasset reported armed ICE agents making an arrest. In a separate incident reported on March 14, agents were observed at Corporation Beach inspecting weapons. A report from March 17 indicated agents were harassing students near Needham High School.
In light of the portal’s launch, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security attributed rising threats against federal employees to “slander” from political figures like Healey and Campbell. Earlier this year, Governor Healey proposed legislation aimed at banning ICE agents from operating in schools, places of worship, and hospitals across Massachusetts.
