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A large shipment of SUVs to the Burlington ICE facility has sparked concern among Massachusetts politicians that a larger immigration crackdown could be coming to the Bay State.
The delivery of 24 SUVs to the regional facility for ICE in New England was documented by an activist group on social media, who posted a video to YouTube of a truck dropping the new vehicles off on Jan. 7 from an account named “Bearing Witness at ICE Burlington, MA.”
Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday was asked if her office is preparing for a potential surge in ICE operations in Massachusetts. The governor responded by denouncing the agency and President Trump for leaving residents “terrified.”
“We already have ICE in Massachusetts,” Healey said. “We’ve had ICE in Massachusetts for months now and unfortunately their actions have led to, as I just said, people are terrified. They’re scared to death, they’re not going to school, they’re not going to work, they’re not going to their doctors appointments, they’re not going to court when they’re a victim of a crime. That’s not right.
“So, I continue to encourage the president to change course on this, because ICE here in Massachusetts and around the country, they’re just acting at the direction of Donald Trump,” the governor added.
When asked about the situation during a Tuesday appearance on WBUR, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu expressed concern about the possibility of planning for an “unthinkable” surge in ICE operations in the city.
“Unfortunately now, on top of the regular rhythm of what we have to discuss, we now have to think about planning for the unthinkable scenarios the federal government might bring,” Wu said.
The delivery of the vehicles comes during a surge in ICE operations amid Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, particularly in Minneapolis after substantial fraud was reported in Minnesota through Somali-run daycares and other establishments.
It also comes after the fatal ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis last week that left Renee Nicole Good dead.
Fallout continues from the ICE agent killing Good, with at least five prosecutors in the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s office resigning over the controversy of how the DOJ has handled the investigation into the shooting. Meanwhile, a Justice Department official said Wednesday there’s no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation into the shooting, while the FBI continues its investigation of Good’s death.
Confrontations between ICE and protesters in Minneapolis continued for a sixth day Wednesday after federal agents hit demonstrators with tear gas and eye irritant on Tuesday.
Another common sight in Minneapolis has been demonstrators taunting federal immigration agents with orange whistles or by booing when they spot heavily armed convoys passing through in unmarked vehicles or walking the streets. Its all reportedly part of a grassroots effort to warn the neighborhood and remind the government that they’re watching.
The Burlington ICE facility has been at the center of recent headlines involving Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Seth Moulton (MA-06) after he conducted oversight tours of the regional lockup. The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.
ICE Boston referred the Herald to the Department of Homeland Security in response to an inquiry into the delivery of the SUVs. DHS has not responded to a request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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