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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Gov. Healey questions ICE's 'collateral' arrests in Massachusetts
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
The soccer team formerly known as BOS Nation is announcing its new nickname later this morning. (And if you look closely at their social media pages, you might be able to spot some hints.)
But first, the news:
Collateral damage: Gov. Maura Healey is questioning why many people without criminal charges were swept up in last week’s raids by ICE in the Boston area. In an interview with WBUR’s Tiziana Dearing, Healey said it was “heartbreaking” to see over a hundred people deported for simply not having legal status. “ They’re living peaceably, they have work authorizations, and yet they were deported,” Healey said. “To me, that makes no sense and it isn’t consistent with what President Trump said that he was going to do, which was to focus on criminals.”
- What happened? While ICE officials said 205 of the 370 people they detained in the raids had been charged with crimes, President Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told reporters at the White House yesterday that “ many were collaterals.” And he said such arrests were a consequence for cities like Boston that limit police cooperation with ICE. “Sanctuary cities are gonna get exactly what they don’t want: more agents in the community and more collateral arrests,” Homan said. Even though the Trump administration has said it’s focused on deporting suspected criminals, Homan said they would not tell ICE agents to “ignore the oath you took to enforce immigration law” if they come across people with the sole civil infraction of not having proof of legal status.
- Healey also called out an unusual lack of communication about the raids. Despite offering to meet with Homan, she didn’t learn about his trip to Massachusetts until it was announced Monday. “I’ve said for a while I’d love to talk to the administration — as I did talk to the Biden administration — about what’s actually needed to address fentanyl trafficking and the like around this country,” Healey told Tiziana. “ I just don’t quite understand what his fixation is with Boston or with Massachusetts because, frankly, we’re among the safest states in the country.”
- Healey also refuted Homan’s assertion that Massachusetts has statewide sanctuary policies. A state court ruling prohibits county jails from keeping people for ICE, if they would have otherwise been released. However, Healey said the state’s Department of Corrections has an agreement to work with ICE if they have someone in custody who is “ here unlawfully” and has “committed a crime.” “We regularly notify ICE, and that person is available and presented for deportation,” she said.
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Meanwhile: Tufts University says the Trump administration detained an international graduate student last night and terminated their visa. School officials say the student — who they did not identify — was taken from an off-campus apartment building in Somerville.
- The news comes after the Trump administration deported a Rhode Island doctor last week over alleged support for Hezbollah and earlier this month revoked the green card of a legal U.S. resident who led pro-Palestinian protests last spring at Columbia University.
- As WBUR’s Suevon Lee reports, several professor groups are now suing the Trump administration in federal court in Boston over its recent efforts to deport people over political activism.
Calling timeout: Massachusetts’ state board of education advanced new rules yesterday to restrict the use of timeout rooms in schools. The changes would require such rooms — which some schools use as a behavioral tool, primarily for students with disabilities — be unlocked and meet certain standards, such as having appropriate space and lighting. The board is planning to vote on final regulations in June.
- Go deeper: A Boston Globe investigation last year found some schools’ “timeout rooms” more closely resembled seclusion — which is supposed to be banned in Massachusetts schools.
P.S.— The leaders of NPR and PBS are on Capitol Hill this morning to testify to a House committee, amid renewed Republican interest in wiping out federal funding for public media. While such efforts have failed in the past, PBS CEO Paula Kerger told NPR’s David Folkenflik that “this moment does feel different.” Folkenflik has more details here on what to expect from the hearing. You can also livestream it starting at 10 a.m. on our website.
