Latest news with #NBCBoston
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
How is ICE getting tipped off so fast? A post-9/11 program is one way
A federal program created after the 9/11 attacks allows immigration officials to track undocumented migrants in the country — even in sanctuary communities. Community members in Chelsea raised questions after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents suddenly arrived at the city's police station and detained high school-aged boys shortly after they were booked in two separate instances last month. The federal program, created under President George Bush and expanded under President Barack Obama, gives ICE access to a national fingerprint database maintained by the FBI. When local police make an arrest, fingerprints taken during the booking process are shared with the national database, alerting ICE to immigrants it seeks to deport. Chelsea City Councilor Roberto Jimenez Rivera told MassLive that the city he represents has been 'particularly hit hard' by ICE due to the policies the city has enacted around not assisting with immigration operations. 'We don't hold people for immigration reasons, we do not ask about immigration status,' Jimenez Rivera said. Last month, there were two separate instances when ICE arrived at the Chelsea police station to detain teenagers shortly after they were arrested. In one instance, teenagers were arrested by Chelsea police due to a BB gun being mistaken for a real gun, Jimenez Rivera said. ICE detained three teenagers and the father of one of the teens at the police station, according to a news report by NBC Boston. In another instance, a fight at a high school involving a knife led to the arrests of some students, and one of them was detained by ICE at the police station, NBC Boston reported. Jimenez Rivera said it's been a challenge to explain to the community how the process works since it's 'something that looks like a collaboration,' but that the city's policies prevent police from carrying out immigration enforcement. The city councilor explained that when ICE arrives at the police station to detain an individual who is being released, the individuals are brought to a 'controlled space' where ICE agents can apprehend the person once they are done with the booking process. Likewise, Jimenez Rivera said it's a challenge to explain how ICE has access to the FBI's national fingerprint database and that the city cannot opt out of it. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Neither did the Chelsea Police Department. Secure Communities is a federal information-sharing program run by the FBI that holds criminal records, fingerprints and biometrics, according to Laura Rotolo, senior advocacy director for field initiatives with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She specializes in immigrant rights. The program allows the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, access to the FBI database. 'Anytime anyone is arrested anywhere in the country, their fingerprints are taken by the local police,' Rotolo said. It is a common practice for police to upload the fingerprints to the FBI database, where police can learn about other information, such as any outstanding warrants, Rotolo said. 'It's the fingerprints that are key here,' she said, because they are automatically shared with the Department of Homeland Security. '(DHS) might have information that the person is of interest to them because they are deportable for whatever reason or because they have said that they are not a U.S. citizen,' Rotolo said. 'It's very quick,' she said. 'So they know if somebody's arrested in Chelsea, that they are interested in detaining, they can show up at the Chelsea police department or court and detain that person. And that's all done just by the simple act of taking the person's fingerprints when they're arrested.' Rotolo said the program came after the post-9/11 restructuring of federal agencies and how they shared information. The Trump administration ramped up deportations since January, and on May 30, it identified more than 500 communities, including Boston and 11 others in Massachusetts, as 'sanctuary cities.' But by Sunday, the administration had withdrawn the published list after pushback from the National Sheriffs' Association. 'Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal illegal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in grave danger,' the administration said in a press release. 'DHS is committed to exposing these lawless jurisdictions to the public and making them accountable for not respecting the rule of law.' The Trump administration has targeted cities such as Chicago, New York City and Boston for its immigration policies. Other Massachusetts communities have felt the brunt of stepped-up deportation efforts. 'It's been harsher on Chelsea,' Jimenez Rivera said. 'I keep telling people, this isn't about public safety, it's about terrifying communities and making politics out of our people.' Chelsea, along with Somerville, filed a federal lawsuit in February challenging the Trump administration's 'efforts to coerce them into participating in mass deportation efforts,' according to a press release. The cities say that the administration's threats to strip sanctuary cities of federal funding and prosecute them for 'failing to bend to the president's will' are unconstitutional. Chelsea received about $14.5 million in federal funding for the 2024 fiscal year. 'We are really small, it's easy to terrorize our people,' Jimenez Rivera said. Why do ICE agents wear masks? This is what it's like on Martha's Vineyard after ICE raids ICE defends arrest of Milford High School student, though teen was 'not the target' ICE detained nearly 1,500 people in Mass. in one month Trump admin's sanctuary cities list disappears after sheriffs' criticism Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Girl dies in two-car crash in Franklin, one arrested
FRANKLIN, Mass. (WWLP) – A driver is facing drunk driving charges for a crash that killed a young girl and injured several others in Franklin Saturday night. Woman dies in motor vehicle crash on Suffield and Adams Street in Agawam The crash took place in the area of Grove Street at Beaver Street. The Norfolk District Attorney's Office says the girl's mother and brother are in the hospital, but the father, who was driving, has been released. NBC Boston states the family's car collided with a pickup truck. The truck's driver, 21-year-old James Blanchard of Franklin, has been arrested. He faces several charges, including motor vehicle homicide, drunk driving, and negligent operation. Blanchard is being held on $500,000 bail and will appear in Wrentham District Court on Tuesday. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
Couple killed in head-on crash in Dartmouth
DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WWLP) – Police are investigating a deadly car crash that happened Sunday morning in Dartmouth. Woman dies in motor vehicle crash on Suffield and Adams Street in Agawam A couple from Westport was killed after the Bristol County DA's office says another car crossed the double yellow line and hit them head-on at around 10:30 a.m. The victims have been identified as Jeffrey and Diane Moniz, both 76 years old. The driver of the other car, 63-year-old Philip Morris of Dartmouth, had minor injuries and has been charged with two counts of motor vehicle homicide, NBC Boston states. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Five injured after crash on I-91 in North Haven
NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WWLP) – Five people were sent to the hospital after a crash on I-91 in North Haven on Sunday. Multi-vehicle crash temporarily closes South End Bridge Two of the five people injured were left in critical condition, according to NBC Boston. The crash happened on the northbound side in North Haven. Firefighters say multiple vehicles were involved. One of the cars rolled over and caught fire. Police are investigating what caused the crash. The crash closed lanes on I-92 between exits 9 and 10. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Detained Tufts student ordered released by federal judge
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to release detained Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk. The big picture: Federal judges in Vermont have now ordered the release of two international students who were abruptly detained over pro-Palestinian speech or protest. Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who was detained during a U.S. naturalization interview, was released last month. Driving the news: U.S. District Judge William Sessions granted bail to Öztürk, who has been in custody in a Louisiana detention facility for six weeks. Öztürk suffered an asthma attack during the bail hearing Friday morning, NBC Boston reported. Context: Öztürk was detained in March for writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed in the Tufts Daily that criticized her university and urged it to divest from companies tied to Israel. The government alleged she was "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," but did not explain what those were. The Trump administration spent weeks fighting orders to bring Öztürk to Vermont to attend her bail hearing in person — and after failed attempts to have her lawsuit against the administration heard in Louisiana instead of New England. What they're saying: Jessie Rossman, legal director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement Friday, "We are so relieved that Rümeysa will soon be back in Massachusetts, and won't stop fighting until she is free for good." Rossman added, "For 45 days, Rümeysa has been detained in Louisiana — over 1,300 miles from her friends, her community, and her lawyers. During that time, she has suffered regular and escalating asthma attacks. And at the same time, the government has failed to produce any justification for her detention." Asked about the development during a press briefing Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she'll have to check on the particular case but added, "We've made quite clear that lower level judges should not be dictating the foreign policy of the United States, and we absolutely believe that the president and the Department of Homeland Security are well within their legal rights to deport illegal immigrants." Öztürk was in the U.S. legally on a student visa when she was detained.
