Swampscott has begun the process of revising its policy on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Police Department’s role in related actions, following efforts by Police Chief Ruben Quesada and other Massachusetts chiefs.

“In summation, the policy emphasizes that civil immigration laws are the responsibility of the federal government,” Quesada said. “In essence, this policy lays out procedures for our officers in handling ICE related calls, any resident inquiries and any after action reporting items.”

ICE has made thousands of arrests since President Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second term. Since the beginning of 2026, ICE has ramped up enforcement, resulting in a record number of detentions and deportations. In January, two fatal shootings in Minneapolis claimed the lives of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good and 37-year-old Alex Pretti.

The enforcement agency was formed in 2002 as part of the Homeland Security Act, in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The act created the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE was one of its subsidiaries. The agency’s mission focuses on public safety and national security. ICE’s actions are governed by the Constitution, federal law, and Department of Homeland Security guidelines.

Minnesota officials have sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block the agents in their state. In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey filed a bill last week to block ICE from making arrests in courthouses, schools, day cares, hospitals and health clinics. She also signed an executive order to restrict state agencies from entering into new partnerships with ICE.

Some individuals detained by ICE in the region are allegedly being held in Burlington, Massachusetts. The facility is allegedly supposed to be used for processing. House Minority Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) said she was turned away from the field office on Monday, when she arrived for an unannounced oversight visit. 

There have been multiple ICE encounters throughout the Commonwealth. A Salvadoran man was detained in Malden. Footage shows a man appearing to collapse while holding a child during an ICE arrest in Fitchburg. On Nantucket, several individuals were detained.

The Swampscott Police Department has said it will “not enforce immigration enforcement.”

“Officers are prohibited from inquiring about any individual’s immigration status,” Quesada said at the beginning of his presentation Wednesday. “This policy states that it does not preclude the Swampscott Police Department from working with federal officials when it involves a criminal, arrest warrants or issues with national security. Also in this policy, officers are prohibited from detaining individuals solely based on immigration detainers.”

In Swampscott, protestors held signs that opposed Trump and ICE as part of a nationwide walkout on Tuesday, January 20. A special demonstration — in addition to the weekly Swampscott Thursday protests — took place in Marblehead last weekend in remembrance of Pretti and “all the others who have been innocently murdered,” according to organizer Michael Paquette.

Resident Keiko Zoll read a proclamation addressing federal immigration enforcement in February calling the “acts of violence and harm – whether directed at immigrants or U.S. citizens – are unacceptable and stand in direct contradiction to the fundamental American rights and values that form the foundation of our democracy including the rights to life, liberty, due process, peaceful expression and freedom of fear.”

“The advice we have for the public is not to interfere, obstruct, hinder, or impede ICE agents conducting their lawful duties,” Quesada previously told the Swampscott Tides. “The same rules apply to us as municipal law enforcement.”

Quesada said that he has not had any notifications on ICE or the Department of Homeland Security, but if a resident is concerned the police department can respond and “record on our body cameras any interactions or suspicious activity that the public has any questions about whatsoever.”

Going forward, however, the Select Board is asking for a more aggressive policy to be proactive against anything that may happen in Swampscott.

There have been about three instances of ICE staging on police department property in Swampscott, Quesada said. 

“We confronted them, asked them what they were doing, and asked them to identify themselves,” Quesada said. “I know in one of the situations that I was involved in, they were looking for someone with a criminal warrant.”

The idea around not allowing ICE on town property is “uncharted territory,” Quesada said. He said the “tug of war battle” has not been challenged in the courts yet. 

Select Board Vice Chair Doug Thompson said the policies are “being very tepid.”

Town Administrator Nick Connors noted that the idea of using town property or prohibiting it is “potentially problematic.”

“We do not know what the reaction to that will be,” Connors said.