What new ‘Trust Act’ means for BPD, citizens

Boston officially has a new Trust Act on the books, outlining how the city›s police force may — and may not — cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Mayor Marty Walsh signed the amended ordinance into law last Thursday (Dec. 19), saying one of the strongest changes to the new act is in clarifying the difference between criminal activity and civil immigration violations. The latter of which BPD officials are not allowed to help enforce.
“I think that there are obviously some concerns within the immigrant community over the last year or so,” Walsh said, “and I think having an updated Trust Act with kind of everyone paying attention to it, a renewed emphasis on it, is key.”

The act mandates that city and BPD personnel and funds not be used to interrogate, detain or arrest a person solely for non-criminal immigration enforcement purposes.

One of the amendments includes prohibiting city police from providing personal information — like names, addresses and physical descriptions, or information regarding a person’s release date — to ICE solely for the purpose of enforcing non-criminal immigration violations.

While the new ordinance prohibits BPD officers from sharing information with the ICE division in charge of enforcing civil immigration laws, it also outlines scenarios in which officers are permitted to cooperate with another division: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). HSI is the branch of ICE charged with investigating criminal operations like human smuggling, drug and gun trafficking and transnational gang activity.

Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, who, according to Walsh, was instrumental in crafting the new Trust Act, said he has no interest in enforcing civil immigration law. The job of the BPD is to protect all of Boston’s communities.

“No matter where you hail from, if there is a crime committed against you, that you should feel comfortable enough to come to the police,” Gross said.

Unlike the city’s 2014 Trust Act, the amended ordinance stipulates BPD must train all officers on the updated requirements.
But civil rights advocates told The Associated Press that the new changes don›t go far enough.

“While the updated legislation limits collaboration between Boston police and federal immigration enforcement, it does not end it, and leaves room for Boston police officers to help ICE continue to tear apart families,” said Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU’s Massachusetts chapter.

WBUR 90.9FM first published this story on Dec. 19. The Reporter and WBUR share content through a media partnership.


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