Suffolk DA lashes out against ICE 'interference' with man's right to trial

The Suffolk County district attorney is criticizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for interfering in a local prosecution, days after ICE detained a man who was on trial for allegedly lying on a driver’s license form.

“Our policy is that we can neither support nor interfere with ICE and the operations of their duties,” DA Kevin Hayden said during a press conference Wednesday. “Now, if ICE interferes with the operation of our duties as they did here, then again, as we're doing now, we're going to speak out about it.”

Wilson Martell-Lebron, who prosecutors say is a Dominican national who claimed to be from Puerto Rico, was detained by ICE after leaving a Boston courthouse.

Critics have questioned whether prosecutors knew about the ICE arrest beforehand — a claim Hayden's office has denied. He insisted Wednesday that his office did not “collude” with ICE.

In Massachusetts, law enforcement officers are not legally supposed to do the work of federal immigration agents, a policy the Trump administration opposes.

Martell-Lebron’s trial lawyer, Murat Erkan cited court testimony from State Police indicating prosecutors were informed that ICE was planning the arrest. Erkan said they did nothing to stop it.

“The district attorney's office is gaslighting the public,” Erkan said. “They knew about the plan … and failed to bring it to the attention of the court.”

Following the arrest, Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville held the arresting ICE agent in contempt and dropped the charges against Martell-Lebron, who remains in ICE custody in Plymouth.

Erkan said the ICE arrest is an "assault" on civil liberties and Democratic values.

Hayden’s office is weighing whether to bring criminal charges against the ICE agent in connection with Judge Summerville’s contempt finding.

Hayden also said fear of ICE endangers public safety, as witnesses have been increasingly unwilling to cooperate with his office on criminal investigations.

"ICE routinely claims that their actions are improving public safety in Boston, and I'm here today to tell you and to say that they are doing the exact opposite," Hayden said.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.