Thursday, 4:30 PM
Patrick blasts feds for New Bedford immigration raid
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff
An angry Governor Deval Patrick blasted federal immigration officials today for abruptly flying approximately 150 detainees to Texas before state social workers had a chance to meet with the immigrants to determine if they had left children uncared for in New Bedford.
The roundup by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents netted 327 immigrants working at Michael Bianco Inc., a waterfront factory that makes handbags and military backpacks. State officials were notified last week about the raid, Patrick said, and federal officials offered assurances that steps would be taken to accommodate people with children or other dependents.
However, before caseworkers from the state Department of Social Services were allowed to speak detainees at Fort Devens, almost half were flown to Texas. Federal officials refused to share a list of those detained with the state, Patrick said, and local officials fear that children and adolescents may be stranded without caregivers.
"What we have never understood about this process is why it turned into a race to the airport," Patrick said at a State House press conference. "We understand about the importance of processing. We get that. But there are families affected, there are children affected."
Immigration officials on Wednesday defended the raid and said that agents interviewed each detainee several times to determine whether they had children and ensure they were being adequately cared for. On Tuesday night, 60 of the suspects were released on humanitarian grounds, most of them because they were the sole or primary caregivers of young children.
Until 7 a.m. today, caseworkers from the state Department of Social Services interviewed the remaining detainees who were being held at Fort Devens, Patrick said. Caseworkers determined during the interviews that at least 26 people in federal custody in Massachusetts were either minors, pregnant, nursing, or the primary caregiver of at least one child.
"I want to be clear that the Commonwealth had no role in the criminal investigation or immigration enforcement action taken by the federal government in New Bedford," Patrick said.
The federal government has agreed to fly suspected illegal immigrants back if it is determined that they are the primary caregiver for a child in Massachusetts, Patrick said. Administration officials said the federal government has refused requests by the state to halt additional flights.
