12 of Massachusetts’ 14 sheriffs just warned Governor Healey that her new ICE law could let people facing murder, rape, and kidnapping charges walk out of jail with zero notice to federal authorities.
The law generally blocks jails from giving ICE advance notice when someone is released. The only exception is for people who have already finished a sentence for certain serious violent felonies. That exception does not cover pretrial detainees.
The sheriffs say this is already happening. In the data they sampled, every relevant detainee was facing violent charges. Fourteen of them had bail set at $1,000 or less, some as low as $500 on kidnapping or domestic assault charges. One pretrial detainee in Worcester County is wanted by Interpol for murder abroad, with bail set at $500.
If ICE doesn’t get a heads-up while the person is still in custody, agents may have to try to find them later in the community. The sheriffs say that creates avoidable risks for the public, law enforcement, and bystanders.
They’re asking for a limited fix so that when a pretrial detainee with an ICE detainer is facing serious violent charges, federal authorities at least get notified before the person is released.
Shouldn't this have already been part of the law?