New Hampshire State Police enters ICE agreement, Gov. Kelly Ayotte takes swipe at Massachusetts

Gov Kelly Ayotte is taking another swipe at the Bay State as New Hampshire State Police will be allowed to question arrest and hold aliens based solely on immigration status while Massachusetts limits its cooperation with ICE New Hampshire will not go the way of Massachusetts where sanctuary policies have enabled violent crime and a billion-dollar illegal immigrant predicament Ayotte explained in a report on Wednesday Criminals who are in our country illegally and pose a danger to our communities should be apprehended and removed Ayotte s announcement came after the New Hampshire State Police and several local law enforcement departments and sheriff s offices entered a memorandum of agreement with ICE that will allow aliens to be questioned arrested and held based solely on their immigration status Roughly other agencies in states have signed similar agreements according to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement The only entity from Massachusetts included in that group is the state Department of Corrections The DOC has operated a Jail Enforcement Model since June allowing corrections officers to identify and process individuals in state custody who may be subject to immigration enforcement actions New Hampshire signed onto ICE s Task Force Model which according to the feds serves as a force multiplier by allowing state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority during routine police enforcement duties This model allows state and local agencies to carry out immigration enforcement events in non-custodial settings while under ICE supervision and oversight a description of the model states Troopers and officers must receive training before gaining the authority to perform the limited actions In Massachusetts a Supreme Judicial Court ruling prevents local law enforcement from holding someone only based on a civil immigration detainer issued by federal personnel beyond the time they would otherwise be distributed from custody That means aliens must be disclosed even if federal immigration agents issue a civil immigration detainer Massachusetts House Democrats have rejected Republican-led efforts this week to reorganization the SJC ruling Ayotte often mentioned Massachusetts on the campaign trail as a cautionary tale before winning last November s gubernatorial race in the Granite State She adopted a Don t Mass up New Hampshire slogan pointing to how the Bay State has spent a fortune on housing newcomers Ayotte also campaigned on banning sanctuary cities We ve got the Massachusetts illegal immigrant situation right down the road if you want to see what these dangerous policies do not just to communities but to the state budget Ayotte revealed in her inaugural address in January They ve spent over a billion dollars housing displaced persons rather than investing in their law-abiding residents We can t allow that to happen here