Milford on ICE

Politico

3 days ago

COLD AS ICE — The detention of an 18-year-old Milford High School student who was on his way to volleyball practice over the weekend brought a wave of renewed outrage from local residents and Democratic lawmakers.
Dozens gathered outside Milford Town Hall Sunday to protest the detention of Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who friends said Sunday was undocumented and had arrived in the country as a child. People waved signs and chanted 'Free Marcelo,' as members of his class marched from their graduation ceremony to the protest.
Da Silva was tailed by federal immigration officials while driving to practice Saturday morning, his teammate, Yago Sampaio, told reporters Sunday. Sampaio, who was in the car with him, said ICE officers surrounded the car and questioned Da Silva about his age and immigration status. Lawyers are looking into filing a habeas corpus petition to challenge Da Silva's detention, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Da Silva's seizure reignited calls from some for state leaders to step up. 'I think there's some things that could be done to make sure that people are safe,' Jillian Phillips, who works for a non-profit based in Worcester, told Playbook at the rally. 'I understand that their hands are tied in terms of what the federal government is doing, but our schools and our state courthouses are state governed, and so they could do a lot more to put in protections in those spaces.'
Shortly before the rally began, Gov. Maura Healey said she was 'disturbed and outraged' by the incident and called on ICE to share more information. 'Yet again, local officials and law enforcement have been left in the dark with no heads up and no answers to their questions,' Healey said in a statement. 'I'm demanding that ICE provide immediate information about why he was arrested, where he is and how his due process is being protected.'
But state lawmakers are in a logistical bind. Federal officials, 'are not acting, from what I can discern, within the color of law,' state Sen. Becca Rausch, who joined the Sunday protest, told Playbook.
'That lawlessness hurts the entire nation, not just people in Milford, not just people in Framingham, not just people in Somerville, not just people in Massachusetts,' Rausch said. 'But because it's federally controlled, we cannot directly stop ICE. We just can't. But we also don't have to help them.'
There's also a political calculation for Healey. After laying into federal immigration officials last week following raids on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket that resulted in 40 arrests, Republican candidates vying to run against her next year pounced.
Former MBTA administrator Brian Shortsleeve accused Healey of 'turning Massachusetts into a migrant magnet,' while former state housing secretary Mike Kennealy said the first-timer Democrat 'can't expect to be included in federal operations while she's publicly bashing the federal government and attacking ICE.'
At the federal level, Democrats can't do much either, given their current lack of power in Congress. But messaging mattered, said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who also attended the town hall protest.
'We've demonstrated before that when we focus public attention on due process, not on as a question about immigration but as a question of freedom, then we can get results,' he said, pointing to Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Tufts University graduate student who a judge order to be released after her detention sparked national scrutiny.
GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: [e-mail].
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll make an announcement about housing development on state-owned land at 10:30 a.m. in Boston. Healey attends a June Day ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Boston Common. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosts a roundtable following an uptick in ICE activity at 10:30 a.m. in East Boston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a coffee hour at 10 a.m. in Roxbury, speaks at Boston's Pride Month kickoff at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall and delivers remarks at the opening of a cafe in the Boston Children's Museum at 1:45 p.m. in Fort Point.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
BIG ENERGY — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's office is looking into MassSave, the state's energy efficiency program, after energy bills spiked earlier this year. While her office can't launch a formal audit of the program, she does plan to issue a report, she said during an interview on WCVB's 'On the Record' that aired Sunday.
— Massachusetts bill on vehicle miles traveled in national spotlight by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: 'A bill pending on Beacon Hill that looks to set a statewide vehicle miles traveled reduction goal as part of the decarbonization push has ignited national backlash, with critics calling it governmental overreach. Under the so-called Freedom to Move Act, an interagency coordinating council would be tasked with crafting a 'whole-of-government plan' to reduce reliance on personal vehicles and increase access to public transportation in the Bay State.'
— Less than half of Massachusetts residents approve of Healey's performance, poll finds by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'Less than half of Massachusetts residents approve of Gov. Maura Healey's performance as governor, and far fewer say she 'deserves to be reelected' in 2026, according to a survey released by the University of New Hampshire this week. The two Republicans hoping to challenge Healey during the statewide general election next year immediately latched onto the results of the poll as proof that the Democrat's popularity is slipping more than halfway through her first term in office.'
FROM THE HUB
— Boston wanted tax-exempt institutions to chip in more to help pay for city services. Under Trump, it's looking unlikely. by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: 'For decades, one of Boston's points of pride has also posed a dilemma for City Hall: The same world-renowned universities, hospitals, and museums that make the city a global hub for innovation, culture, and education are exempt by state law from paying property taxes, which the city heavily relies on to fund its budget. Over the years, city officials have tried to get the most prominent tax-exempt institutions — Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern, and Massachusetts General Hospital, among others — to pony up more to offset the cost of city services they use. … Recently, however, President Trump's siege on grants and other federal funding vital to many of those same institutions has scrambled those plans.'
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
— If elected mayor, Kraft says he'd lean on philanthropy and improve community engagement by Eve Zuckoff, WBUR.
— As Trump bears down on Boston, Mayor Wu says she'll keep the focus on city residents by Eve Zuckoff, WBUR
— Justin Hurst Announces Comeback Bid by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: 'Although only the City Council and School Committee are on the ballot this year, Springfield's midterm elections had been shaping up into a competitive affair. With over half of the ward seats on the Council contested and races likely across the School Committee, 2025 should not be a quiet year. However, no at-large Councilor is retiring and the odds of defenestrating an at-large incumbent are daunting. That may have changed on Friday. Former at-large City Councilor Justin Hurst pulled papers on Friday to reclaim a citywide seat on the Council.'
— Agneta now running for Peabody mayor by Caroline Enos, The Salem News: 'Rochelle Agneta has switched her campaign from one for councilor at-large to mayor. This is the second time the Salon CC owner and lifelong Peabody resident has run to lead the city, as she unsuccessfully faced six-term incumbent Ted Bettencourt in 2023.'
MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS
— 'We're not sanctuary cities': WMass mayors push back at feds over DHS target list by Stephanie Barry, The Springfield Republican: 'With the Department of Homeland Security now cracking down on 'sanctuary jurisdictions,' leaders in targeted cities in Western Massachusetts are urging the president to reconsider or, in some cases, to check his facts. Springfield, Amherst, Northampton and Holyoke made the new DHS 'sanctuary jurisdiction' list, as well as Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties. After learning of the new list, local municipal leaders pushed back at the federal administration.'
— ICE impact still felt in New Bedford by Kevin G. Andrade, The New Bedford Light: 'New Bedford continues to feel the effects of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that have so far detained at least 28 men, mostly from Guatemala, in the city since the inauguration of President Donald Trump.'
DAY IN COURT
— Transit police chief: Public corruption 'could run rampant' in Suffolk, if not for feds by Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe: 'A day after a federal jury convicted a former MBTA Transit Police sergeant for helping falsify a report to coverup the beating of a homeless man, the department's top official accused Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden of failing to pass 'the smell test' by previously dropping state charges against the officer. Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said in a statement Friday that the department was grateful for the 'unbiased and ethical handling' of David Finnerty's case by the US Attorney's office, which obtained an indictment in August 2023 –10 months after Hayden dropped similar state charges citing new evidence that appeared to exonerate Finnerty.'
— A federal judge with Worcester roots has become a focus of Trump's anger by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: 'Longtime Worcester defense lawyer Brian E. Murphy, months into his tenure as a federal judge, is increasingly drawing the ire of President Donald Trump following rulings in a high-profile deportation case.'
— A federal judge delivered a beatdown to the Trump administration, in support of WilmerHale by Jon Chesto, the Boston Globe.
FROM THE DELEGATION
WARREN TAKES COLORADO — Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in Colorado over the weekend, headlining the Colorado Democratic Party's annual fundraising dinner while stumping for Sen. John Hickenlooper. In the latest sign that Democrats think they can seize on the battle over what Republicans have dubbed the 'big, beautiful bill,' during the midterms, Warren used the platform to come out swinging against the sweeping domestic policy package she said would be a 'punch in the gut for working families.' More from Punchbowl
— Lawmakers blast Trump's targeting of foreign students by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'Members of the state's all-Democrat congressional delegation are urging the Trump administration to stop its 'attack' on foreign students attending Harvard University and other elite U.S. colleges, warning that the effort will cost jobs and hurt the economy. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other members of the delegation said the agency's push to revoke student visas for international students has created a 'climate of fear' on college campuses that threatens to shut down a pipeline of job creators, scientists and entrepreneurs.'
ON CAMPUS
— WPI announces layoffs, cites rising costs, federal uncertainty by Jesse Collings, Telegram & Gazette: 'Worcester Polytechnic Institute has laid off 24 employees as part of cost-cutting measures related to rising costs and uncertainty regarding Trump administration policies on funding higher education. The college, which with a total enrollment of 7,420 is the largest university in Worcester, announced in a letter to students and staff that cuts needed to be made in order to keep WPI on stable financial ground.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Billerica Select Board in flux as majority votes to name new chair by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: 'The chaos on the Billerica Select Board continued Thursday afternoon after a third special meeting in two weeks resulted in a vote to reorganize the board officer positions, a move and meeting which original Chair Michael Rosa called 'illegal.' The reorganization was supported by board members Jillian Pavidis, John Burrows and Daniel Darris-O'Connor. Pavidis was made chair, Burrows vice chair and Darris-O'Connor secretary.'
— Town Meeting complaints spill over to Select Board in Danvers by Buck Anderson, The Salem News: 'Following Town Meeting's decision not to act on citizens' petitions that would have reversed the town's efforts to comply with the MBTA Community Act, the issue reared its head the next night before the Select Board. Two of the petitions on the warrant would have canceled previous zoning measures the town had taken to ensure compliance with the state law. For Danvers, adjacent to communities with MBTA train service, it's required to have zoning that allows multifamily housing by right in at least one district.'
— Dracut Town Meeting to take up MBTA Communities multifamily zoning again by Prudence Brighton, The Lowell Sun: 'Selectmen are in a tough spot as the June 2 Town Meeting approaches. They must convince voters that adopting an unpopular state law is imperative if the town wants to keep receiving millions of dollars in grant money and to avoid job losses. Selectman Tony Archinski explained the problem succinctly: 'No means layoffs.' He was paraphrasing signs that opponents have placed throughout town, reading 'No means no.''
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Kathryn Grosso Gann and Liam Horsman.