Graphic from April 29 WBZ-TV newscast. Does not include Holyoke, Orleans and Springfield.

The Department of Homeland Security this week released a list of what it labels Sanctuary Jurisdictions across the country, with a dozen Massachusetts cities and towns, all but one county, and the state itself making the list.

Amherst, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Holyoke, Lawrence, Newton, Northampton, Orleans, Somerville and Springfield have been described on the DHS website as “deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril.”

Lowell is notably missing from the list, at a time when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been very visible on our local streets lately, and some residents and community leaders are calling on Mill City leaders and elected officials to take a more vocal stand against the operations.

At a recent City Council meeting, City Manager Tom Golden expressed concern that calling attention to DEI policies, another target of the Trump Administration’s first four-plus months in office, could jeopardize federal funding opportunities. Many have speculated similar concerns are leading to the public silence surrounding the ICE crackdowns as well.

Back in February, City Councilor Vesna Nuon filed a motion requesting the Manager and Police Department provide their “official policy for interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and how they plan to communicate that policy to the Lowell community.”

In response, Police Superintendent Greg Hudon outlined the city policy in place since April of 2015.

“The Lowell Police Department cooperates and assists with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) when formally requested, as we do with all our law enforcement partners such as local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies (FBI, DEA, etc.),” Hudon wrote at the time. “Our officers are also bound by law to make arrests when a judicially issued federal arrest warrant exists for an individual and where a potential threat to public safety or national security is perceived.”

The Superintendent went on to state “a person’s right to request assistance, file a police report, participate in police-community activities, or otherwise benefit from general police services is not contingent upon the individual providing proof of citizenship or documented immigration status.” 

Calls for Lowell’s councilors to speak out against the immigration enforcement actions have appeared publicly in some quarters, anonymously in another. Whether the Trump administration designation of surrounding communities affects those calls going forward, or the way Lowell leaders react to them, remains to be seen.

The DHS designation states “each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its non-compliance with Federal statutes. DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with Federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.” 

The website also notes that “the list can be reviewed and changed at any time and will be updated regularly. No one should act on this information without conducting their own evaluation of the information.”

What punitive actions will be taken if “non-compliance” continues are not spelled out, though any withholding of funds or charges against state and municipal officials refusing to cooperate will likely inflame emotions on both sides and end up as another one of the many legal battles playing out throughout the country.

Earlier Friday evening, InsideLowell published guidelines from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s Office on what state law says regarding rights of individuals involved in an ICE operation and any bystanders who may become involved.