Bill > S1258

This bill aims to restore community trust in Massachusetts law enforcement by establishing new standards for how local agencies interact with federal immigration authorities. It defines key terms such as "civil immigration detainer," which is a request from a federal immigration officer to hold an individual, and "administrative warrant," which is a similar order from federal immigration agencies but not issued by a judge. The bill explicitly prohibits Massachusetts law enforcement officers from arresting or detaining individuals solely based on these federal immigration requests or warrants, and they cannot continue to hold someone if they are otherwise eligible for release from local custody. Furthermore, it prevents inmates from being denied bail solely due to an immigration detainer or warrant, restricts federal immigration agents' access to inmates within local facilities for interviews or information, and mandates that local agencies provide inmates with copies of any immigration detainers or warrants. The bill also prohibits local agencies from sharing booking lists or inmate release information with federal immigration authorities like ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and prohibits transporting inmates directly into ICE custody. Finally, it requires law enforcement agencies to collect and report data on all civil immigration requests and administrative warrants they receive, including demographic information and the outcome of the detainer, with most of this information to be made public.