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Local office outlines how ICE, CBP and USCIS operate and what parents and students should know about warrants and school privacy
Summary
Susan Church of the Office of Immigrants and Refugees summarized how U.S. immigration agencies differ, explained when officials need a warrant to enter a home or school, warned that Customs and Border Protection can inspect devices at ports of entry, and urged people to consult immigration attorneys before responding to notices or appointments.
Susan Church, a staff member with the Office of Immigrants and Refugees, told a city workshop that federal immigration enforcement is divided among several agencies with different authorities and limits.
"Mi nombre es Susan Church, y yo trabajo para la oficina de inmigrantes y refugiados," Church said at the start of the presentation. She explained that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carries out arrests and removal proceedings, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) conducts inspections at ports of entry and border patrol operations, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) handles benefits such as green cards and visas.
Church said fingerprints taken by local police are typically entered into systems that federal immigration agents can access, and that arrests can sometimes follow criminal-court appearances when immigration records indicate a driver or other arrestee has immigration enforcement priorities. She cautioned that USCIS staff do not generally perform enforcement but may alert enforcement agencies when someone has a final order of removal.
She also warned about device searches at the border and CBP review of travel-related records. "En el proceso que están haciendo eso ellos pueden determinar de que usted puede que esté aquí mensajeando..." Church said, describing that CBP can examine phones or computers at reentry and may use that information when deciding whether to admit someone or revoke a visa.
On sensitive locations and warrants, Church said a federal "sensitive locations" memorandum that limited enforcement at places such as schools and hospitals was rescinded at the federal level on Jan. 23, but that Massachusetts still maintains state-level protections. She explained how to distinguish a judge-signed search warrant from an ICE administrative document and advised people to check for a court name and a judicial signature before opening a door. "Si ellos tienen una orden judicial firmada por un juez, tiene que abrir la puerta," Church said, adding that people can lawfully ask an officer to identify agency and name through a closed door.
Church described common grounds for deportation (including certain criminal convictions, fraud, and statutory bases such as unlawful presence) and noted the complexity of which offenses trigger removal. She highlighted that conduct legal under Massachusetts law — for example, possession of marijuana within state limits — can still have immigration consequences on reentry because federal law differs from state law.
The presentation included concrete recommendations for families and schools: keep a list of authorized child pick‑ups at school, consider removing a student's name from public school directories if privacy is a concern, and consult an immigration lawyer before responding to notices or attending certain USCIS or ICE appointments. Church said state resources and legal clinics are available for short consultations and provided contact points for further help.
The session closed with an invitation for questions and guidance on where to find state resource links and legal referral lists.
The workshop was informational; no formal actions, votes or policy changes were taken during the meeting.
