Massachusetts Enforcement Pipeline Map

The Massachusetts ICE detention pipeline flows through four nodes:

ARREST → PROCESSING → DETENTION → FLIGHTS
(statewide)  (Burlington)  (Plymouth County)  (Hanscom Field)

1. Arrest Points

• Courthouses: 614+ arrests in 2025 (Region 3 — Lawrence/Lynn/Waltham: 227; Region 5 — Chelsea/Boston: 136)
• Police departments: 210+ arrests involving 32 local PDs (notably Lawrence and Boston)
• Streets and communities: at-large arrests statewide
• County jails: 89+ arrests across 8 of 13 county jails (Jan-Oct 2024 data)

2. Processing: Burlington Field Office

• 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803 (Middlesex County)
• 42,000 sq ft office building, New England ICE HQ
• De facto detention — conditions documented as “abysmal” by multiple congressional visitors
• ICE claims 72-hour max; advocates document 10+ day holds

3. Detention: Plymouth County Correctional Facility

• 26 Long Pond Road, Plymouth, MA 02360 (Plymouth County)
• 526 beds, $215/day, IGSA through 2029
• Average daily population: 414-449 (FY2025)
• 85% classified “no ICE threat”
• Only remaining county ICE detention site in MA

4. Transportation: Hanscom Field

• Bedford, MA (Middlesex County)
• 114+ ICE charter flights through Nov 2025 (2x previous year)
• Governor demanded ICE stop; Massport says it cannot legally refuse federal flights
• Also used: Portsmouth/Pease (NH), Burlington International (VT), Tweed New Haven (CT)

Key Statistics

Key Players

State Government

• Gov. Maura Healey: Executive orders limiting ICE, but preserved DOC 287(g); demanded Hanscom stop; launched misconduct portal
• AG Andrea Campbell: ICE misconduct reporting portal (March 2026)
• Rep. Judith Garcia / Rep. Andy Vargas: PROTECT Act leads

Federal

• Sen. Ed Markey: Multiple Burlington visits, demanded answers from ICE
• Rep. Seth Moulton: Burlington oversight visits (June, December 2025)
• Rep. Jim McGovern: Unannounced Burlington visit April 8, 2026

County

• Plymouth County Sheriff: Maintains IGSA, $35M+/yr revenue
• Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux: Information firewall policy Nov 2025
• Thomas Hodgson (former Bristol County): Now at DHS/ICE under Trump

Municipal

• Mayor Michelle Wu (Boston): Banned ICE from city property Feb 2026
• Cambridge, Somerville: Following Boston’s lead
• Somerville, Chelsea: Filed lawsuits against federal defunding threats

The 287(g) Landscape

Massachusetts has a single 287(g) agreement — the DOC statewide prison system (since 2007). Unlike most states where 287(g) has exploded, MA has resisted new agreements:

• Healey’s EO 650 bans new 287(g) without public safety need
• PROTECT Act would codify limits
• Safe Communities Act (S.1681) would ban all 287(g)
• But Healey explicitly defends the existing DOC agreement

Contrast with neighboring New Hampshire: 12 of 13 New England 287(g) agreements are in NH.

Heatmap Correlation

The heatmap signals for MA counties reflect the historical IGSA and 287(g) infrastructure:

• Suffolk (score 47): Former IGSA (ended 2019), 287(g) history
• Essex (score 37): Region 3 courthouse arrest epicenter (Lawrence, Lynn)
• Middlesex (score 37): Burlington field office + Hanscom Field location
• Barnstable (score 27): Cape Cod, 287(g) signals
• Bristol (score 27): Former Hodgson detention center (ended 2021)
• Hampden (score 27): Springfield — DA office communicating with ICE

Notable absence from heatmap: Plymouth County (FIPS 25023) — which has the only active IGSA and 526 ICE beds — is NOT in the provided heatmap signals, suggesting the heatmap may undercount actual detention infrastructure.

Comparison to Other Blue States

Massachusetts is the only state where a Democratic governor explicitly defends a 287(g) agreement while simultaneously passing executive orders limiting ICE. This makes it a unique case study:

• New York: Governor opposes all 287(g)
• New Jersey: Three new sanctuary laws, 287(g) ban codified
• California: AB1633 50% tax on private detention
• Illinois: Way Forward Act blocks county cooperation
• Oregon: Sanctuary since 1987
• Massachusetts: Governor says she “supports” the 287(g) agreement to get “bad guys off the streets”