Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advocates tell Massachusetts lawmakers ICE is using street tactics, 287(g) expansion and surveillance tools; coalition offers legal fixes
Summary
Witnesses told a joint committee that ICE and local partners are expanding enforcement through 287(g) agreements, IGSA bed contracts, incentivized 'bounty' programs and surveillance tools. Advocates urged bans on new agreements, limits on data sharing and funding for counsel and legal remedies.
A broad coalition of legal advocates, community organizers and civil‑liberties groups told Massachusetts legislators that recent federal immigration enforcement practices are intensifying across the commonwealth and proposed a set of statutory and administrative responses.
David Albright of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action described how ICE has increased incentives for local collaboration, saying the agency is reimbursing salaries and raising per‑diem rates for bed contracts. Albright said the number of 287(g)-style agreements nationwide grew sharply — "at the start of... 2025, there were 135 287(g)s across the country. There are now 1,153," testimony recorded — and warned that the federal program and intergovernmental service agreements (IGSAs) create legal and operational pipelines into detention.
Neighbors to Neighbor’s rapid‑response organizer described hundreds of street‑level incidents: masked agents who do not…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
