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Resident voices opposition to town's police-ICE agreement at selectmen meeting
Summary
At the June 22 meeting, resident Eileen Kane said the town's agreement with federal immigration enforcement risks profiling and funneling people into a flawed detention system; she asked to be recorded in opposition. Board members did not act on the contract at the meeting.
During the public-comment period on June 22, Eileen Kane of Dudleybrook Road told the Board of Selectmen she opposed a recently signed agreement between the town police and federal immigration authorities and asked that her objection be placed on the public record.
Kane described the agreement as turning the local department into "a gateway for a deeply troubled federal system," saying it lets officers inquire about immigration status during traffic stops and risks funneling people into federal detention.
"Being undocumented is a civil infraction. It is not a criminal offense," Kane said. She asserted the composition of detainee populations had shifted and expressed concern about due-process and conditions in detention centers, citing an independent bipartisan investigation she said documented medical neglect and saying last year had been the deadliest on record for ICE detention.
Kane said she understood the chief had signed the agreement but asked the board to note her opposition in the public record. Board members acknowledged her comments but did not propose any action on the agreement during that meeting.
No member of the board provided a factual rebuttal or legal assessment during the public comment period; the meeting record does not show follow-up steps specific to the ICE-related agreement.
