Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Tuesday that the federal government — and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in particular — have made it difficult for local law enforcement to keep communities safe. During an appearance on Boston Public Radio, Rollins touted the temporary ruling of a federal judge that bars ICE officers from arresting immigrants in courthouses who are there for “official business.”
“We’re proud [of] our lawsuit. ICE is no longer able to go into courthouses and civilly arrest people around courthouses, because churches, schools, hospitals and courthouses, you should be able to go in and tell the truth, and be as honest as possible when you’re there,” Rollins said.
On Tuesday, Rollins said that ICE’s activities throughout Suffolk County can have a chilling effect on immigrant communities. She said that the threat of being arrested and deported by federal authorities can discourage immigrant victims of violent crimes from coming forward or cooperating with local law enforcement.
“What [ICE does] is they swoop in and then they leave, and we are left as the DAs and chiefs of police picking up these pieces, and saying to our immigrant community, ‘Oh, we’re sorry about that. Come and help us when you witness a crime by the way. Help us solve this murder,’ and they’re like, ‘We don’t want anything to do with this,’” Rollins said.
Rollins pushed back against claims from ICE that they are only targeting criminals, saying that she is aware of cases where ICE has gone after immigrants for civil, not criminal, offenses. Rather, Rollins believes the best thing ICE can do is leave policing to local law enforcement officials, who she said have been dedicated to working with their communities to reduce distrust between residents and the police.
“All of [the police chiefs in Suffolk County] are trying to do community policing. They’re trying to involve the community and let them know what’s happening with law enforcement,” Rollins said.
Rollins also fielded questions from callers during this segment and discussed cases her office is handling.
