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Boston Police Report Ignoring All 57 ICE Detainer Requests in 2025

The department says city law bars holding people on civil detainers.

Overview

  • The 57 requests represented a sharp increase from prior years, compared with 15 reported in 2024, 19 in 2023, and 12 in 2022.
  • Commissioner Michael Cox detailed the figures in an annual letter required under the Boston Trust Act and said no transfers to ICE custody occurred from those requests.
  • In February 2025 BPD issued a special order and set up a dedicated fax line to centralize detainer processing and improve record-keeping.
  • Only 28% of last year’s requests arrived through the dedicated fax line, with others sent to booking locations or emailed to the Bureau of Field Services.
  • ICE has disputed Boston’s 2024 count, claiming it sent 198 detainers, while the city faces a federal lawsuit challenging its policy that limits cooperation on civil immigration matters.