I’d like to thank Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan for the strong statement posted on his website Jan. 28, stating that “any violations of state law committed against the people of the Northwestern District will be thoroughly and impartially investigated, and, if warranted by the evidence, prosecuted in a court of law.”
Recently, we’ve seen more statements by Massachusetts officials to “hold ICE accountable;” that’s a good sign. Nonetheless, it’s commitments like DA Sullivan’s that we need now so that ICE will think twice about what it does in its next Massachusetts surge.
In 2025, public reporting in Massachusetts documented citizens detained with no warrants; residents beaten during unlawful stops; children violently detained; and minors transferred across state lines to evade court orders. Under state law, assault, kidnapping, and civil rights violations are crimes. Federal agents do not have immunity when they act outside the law, regardless of what VP JD Vance and Stephen Miller say. That is why our attorney general must follow DA Sullivan’s example and make perfectly clear what she will do. If she acts, she can draw a bright line: no one is above the law.
On Jan. 14, 24 SUVs were delivered to the Burlington ICE facility and Axios reported the likelihood of a coming surge. Please join me in contacting AG Andrea Campbell now at 617-727-2200 and urge her to publicly commit to prosecuting crimes when committed by anyone, including federal agents. The attorney general has what it takes to do this; now’s the time to hear from us.
David Roitman
Florence