Residents urge Winchester City Council to end local ICE detention contract

Dozens of residents used the public‑comment period at the Dec. 9 Winchester City Council meeting to press the council to end the city’s contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that places undocumented minors in the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

“Families belong together,” said Elizabeth Michaelson, identifying herself as a Ward 4 resident. She said her FOIA research showed Winchester still has a contract to detain undocumented immigrant children and urged councilors not to renew the agreement in February 2026.

Claire Strobakas, representing an online petition signed by more than 500 people, told the council the local detention center has accepted children from across New England and beyond and called the contracts “despicable,” saying the city “profits off the tears” of families when it holds federally detained children.

Multiple speakers, including Wendy Warner and Mariela Elvey, described the human costs of detention and urged the city to decline future contracts with ICE. Jack Tinsley cited public records showing Winchester processed more than $77,000 in ICE payments in one month and said at least 11 minors were detained locally from April to October 2025.

Supporters of nonprofit coordination also spoke. Katie Vance, executive director of the AIDS Response Effort and co‑chair of the Winchester Nonprofit Collaborative, asked council for formal, regular communication between the city and local nonprofits to coordinate services for vulnerable residents.

Council President Sullivan closed public comment after the speakers and moved the meeting on to the consent agenda; no formal council action on the ICE contract was taken that night.

What happens next: The public record and speakers at the meeting set a political context ahead of the contract’s February 2026 renewal date; the council did not vote on the contract at the Dec. 9 meeting.