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Police announce participation in 287(g) program; chief says officers will not conduct raids
Summary
The town police told the selectboard they have entered a 287(g) cooperative agreement with ICE and said the program will be used only after an arrestable offense, with federal partners deciding custody and reimbursing related labor; residents questioned oversight and potential abuses.
The Newton police department told the selectboard on June 2 that it has entered a 287(g) agreement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a step the chief said is intended to add federal tools for identifying people with outstanding federal warrants.
“It's the 287G program and all it is is us cooperating with the federal agency,” the chief said, adding that the department already cooperates with federal, state and local partners and that “nothing's changed.” The chief said officers would not be conducting proactive immigration sweeps: the program applies when there is an arrestable offense and “if it involves something else… we make a phone call. And that's it.”
The chief told the board the department will continue to pursue transparency and that local taxpayers will not bear added costs: labor or overtime tied to the program will be reimbursed by the federal government, the chief said. He also gave a recent example of assistance to the Kingston police, describing a traffic stop that led to the arrest of a person with multiple aliases, federal warrants and a history of drug and violent crime.
At the meeting, resident Laura McDougall said she was concerned about oversight, citing national coverage of ICE operations. “It's kind of scary that… ICE doesn't seem to have too much accountability from what I see on television,” she said, and added that she feared overreach: “two people died last year… because of ICE and their overzealousness.”
The chief responded that the department will not adopt practices it does not endorse and pledged the town could withdraw from the program if policies conflict with local priorities. He also encouraged residents to raise concerns directly with the police department and offered to meet with individuals who want more information.
The selectboard did not take a separate vote on the program during the meeting; the chief presented the department's decision and answered questions from board members and residents. The chief said state and federal partners determine custody and next steps when an individual is identified under the program.
What comes next: the police chief said he will continue community outreach and that residents with questions can contact the department for further details.
