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Chelsea official says police did not notify immigration after automated fingerprint alerts for detained minors
Summary
Fidel Maltés said five juveniles arrested on felony charges were processed under Massachusetts law and that federal agents later took custody based on automatic database alerts; he said Chelsea Police did not notify immigration and does not inquire about immigration status.
City Administrator Fidel Maltés addressed recent questions about immigration enforcement after five juveniles were detained in the past two weeks.
Maltés said the five were arrested on felony charges and were processed "de acuerdo con la ley de Massachusetts." He explained that, as part of processing, fingerprints are taken and that information is automatically shared with state and federal databases, which can generate alerts to external agencies.
"En ningún momento el departamento de policía de Chelsea notificó a inmigración ni a ninguna agencia federal sobre estos menores," Maltés said. He added that Chelsea officers do not ask about a person’s immigration status and do not hold anyone beyond the legally permitted time without a court order. Maltés said that when federal agents appear at the police station, Chelsea officers limit their role to coordinating a safe transfer and that the local department cannot prevent federal agents from taking custody.
The administrator also said that once juveniles were processed under state law they were prepared to be returned to a parent’s custody as required by law. Maltés framed the police department’s role as focused on public safety and transparency and urged community cohesion in the face of enforcement actions by federal authorities.
