Sanctuary Cities and ICE Detainers

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox reported in a Jan. 12 letter to the city clerk that the department declined all 57 immigration detainer requests it received from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2025, citing compliance with the city’s Boston Trust Act and state law. The detainers, which ICE uses to ask local jails to hold people believed removable beyond their normal release date or to notify ICE before release, jumped sharply from 15 requests in 2024, but Cox said BPD is barred from holding people solely on that basis. The City Council reaffirmed the Trust Act in December 2025, and the Trump administration is simultaneously suing Boston over the sanctuary policy, as critics argue such non-cooperation releases removable noncitizens back into communities where some later reoffend. The letter lists the dates and methods of each ICE request but omits detainee identities or alleged offenses, and Cox emphasized that the department’s priority is building trust so immigrant communities feel safe reporting crime. The disclosure puts hard numbers on how one major city is implementing sanctuary rules amid a national crackdown, and it will likely be used on both sides of the federal–local fight over immigration enforcement and public safety.