Cambridge committee advances ordinance to limit police assistance to ICE, requires command staff verification

The Cambridge City Council Ordinance Committee voted Monday to send amended language to the full City Council that clarifies the Cambridge Police Department’s role during federal immigration-enforcement actions and directs department command staff to take reasonable steps to verify and document federal agents on scene.

The change, based on a city solicitor draft dated July 20, 2025, removes language that commenters said could be read to allow police to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with crowd control and directs that the CPD’s role is limited to ensuring public safety rather than conducting federal immigration enforcement.

City Solicitor's Office staff told the committee the amendment accomplishes three tasks: it clarifies that CPD should not perform immigration-enforcement functions, it requires verification that individuals on scene are federal agents, and it requires documentation of activity on scene. The solicitor explained the draft uses command staff — rather than first-responding patrol officers — as the principal point of contact with federal offices to limit legal…