House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Rep. Tom McClintock called on Boston law enforcement officials Wednesday to turn over information about their “pro-crime” sanctuary policies within two weeks.
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden and Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins received a letter from Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican, and Mr. McClintock, California Republican, requesting specific documents on their positions and Boston’s sanctuary policies.
Mr. McClintock is chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee on Immigration Integrity Security and Enforcement. The Washington Times reached out to each Boston official for comment.
The letter to Mr. Cox said Ice uses detainers to request that law enforcement agencies hold illegal immigrants for up to 48 hours beyond the normal time for releasing them, to allow the Department of Homeland Security to assume custody.
But they said Boston police have not complied with ICE detainers for years, and they accused Mr. Cox of contributing to the Boston Trust Act’s prohibition on cooperation with federal immigration officials.
“The Trust Act also prohibits BPD from notifying ICE about an alien’s release from BPD custody,” they wrote.
The committee requested that Mr. Cox provide, by June 10, all BPD communications touching on immigration from January 2022 forward, detainer counts, criminal histories and communications with the DA’s office, Sheriff’s Department, and mayor’s office.
Mr. Jordan and Mr. McClintock demanded that Mr. Hayden provide information about his office’s policies on prosecuting non-citizens, stating those policies undermine federal immigration enforcement and public safety.
The letter specifically targets Mr. Hayden’s practice of considering immigration consequences — such as deportation — when making prosecution decisions, including allowing defendants to re-plead or to have convictions reduced or vacated to avoid immigration penalties.
“For years, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office has routinely undermined the rule of law under the guise of safeguarding the public. Your predecessor required prosecutors in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office to ‘investigate, review and resolve each case with justice in mind’ and ‘remedy outcomes that are inconsistent with this mission,’” they wrote.
The lawmakers said Mr. Hayden continued these policies, stating he would “consider immigration consequences as part of the prosecution decision and institute steps to avoid extreme immigration penalties, including deportation.”
“In practice, these pro-crime sanctuary policies ensure that criminal aliens can escape accountability for their actions and remain in the United States indefinitely,” they wrote.
Mr. Jordan and Mr. McClintock want Mr. Tompkins to provide information related to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department’s (SCSD) non-cooperation with ICE detainers, saying that its sanctuary policies have allowed dangerous criminals to reoffend in Boston communities.
The letter highlights two specific SCSD policies: its refusal to hold individuals beyond their sentence or bail release based solely on an ICE detainer, and its 2019 termination of its contract to house ICE detainees. It also notes, however, that SCSD has maintained some communication with ICE about foreign nationals in its custody.
“Despite your goal ‘to serve and protect the citizens of Suffolk County,’ Boston’s sanctuary policies endanger the communities you serve,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter cites three specific cases from the past two years involving individuals released by SCSD who were subsequently arrested by ICE, all charged with serious crimes against children.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.