Massachusetts

Bristol County Sheriff Calls for Arrest of Elected Officials of Sanctuary Cities

A Massachusetts sheriff called for the arrests of elected officials who support sanctuary cities while testifying before a House subcommittee in Washington Tuesday.

In his comments to the subcommittee on immigration and border security, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson's called undocumented immigration a national security crisis.

He also said sanctuary cities have become targets for undocumented immigrants, "some of which have violent criminal records," and that elected officials refusing to cooperate with ICE's sweeps undermine law enforcement efforts.

"If these sanctuary cities are going to harbor and conceal criminal illegal aliens from ICE, which is in direct violation of Title 8 of the U.S. Code, federal arrest warrants should be issued for their elected officials," Hodgson said.

Sheriff Hodgson ended his prepared remarks and then added that on Tuesday morning, a state representative posted a warning to undocumented immigrants living and working in Brockton about possible ICE raids in the area this week, advising them to "make sure you stay out of sight."

"This is the most outrageous, outrageous thing of what I think, example of what is going on across the United States," he said. "It's undermining my job and every other law enforcement officer in the United States to keep our communities safe, and that elected official is responsible for protecting the welfare of the people of their communities."

While he did not name the elected official, we were able to trace the Facebook post to Plymouth County's Rep. Michelle DuBois, who also included a phone number for those in need of immigration help in her message.

On Monday night, DuBois held a community meeting to provide legal advice to undocumented immigrants and commented about her Facebook post.

"The response from one Facebook post has caused people across the nation to inundate my Facebook page with some pretty ugly and threatening posts," Dubois said. "Having ICE know that this rumor is widespread in Brockton allows them to change the date of their planned raid."

ICE released a statement saying, "Any person who actively incites panic or fear of law enforcement is doing a disservice to the community, endangering public safety and the very people they claim to support and represent."

Sheriff Hodgson has been a vocal proponent for an increased crackdown on immigration policies, and previously offered to send inmates to build the Trump administration's proposed wall along the southern border.

Earlier on Monday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened to withhold federal funding to sanctuary cities across the U.S.

Contact Us