As federal immigration agents continue to arrest people across Massachusetts, Worcester city leaders are reaffirming that local police will not assist U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.
Hundreds of police departments nationwide have joined the federal 287g program, which allows local officers to partner with ICE on immigration enforcement efforts and use local jail space for detainees. Worcester city councilors passed a resolution Tuesday night barring the Worcester Police Department from entering into that program.
The measure was mainly symbolic because state law restricts local authorities from working with ICE to detain people solely because of their immigration status. Still, in a city where nearly a quarter of residents are foreign-born, councilors said the resolution sends a message that Worcester doesn’t seek to harm immigrants…