Belmont Forum: Police Will Not Help ICE, But Cannot Block Agents Either

BELMONT — June 17, 2025 — Belmont hosts community ICE forum, with DA and police chief detailing county enforcement picture and resident rights. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told attendees at the June 17 forum, co-sponsored by the Belmont Human Rights Commission and the Belmont Democratic Town Committee, that ICE has so far confined its Middlesex County activity to courtroom-release arrests but warned that "the net effect" of residents' fear — suppressed crime reporting, children missing school, patients skipping medical care — cannot be measured. Police Chief Jamie McIsaac confirmed Belmont will not honor civil ICE detainers under the state's Lunn decision, cannot be compelled to assist ICE under the 10th Amendment, and said officers responding to a 911 call involving masked agents in unmarked vehicles would attend but expect ICE to self-identify. Immigration attorney Elizabeth Goss urged at-risk residents to build safety plans covering document location, child pickup arrangements, and pre-identified counsel able to file an immediate habeas corpus petition to prevent detainees from being transferred to out-of-state facilities. The Human Rights Commission distributed wallet-sized rights cards and a four-language flyer — English, simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, and Spanish — available at belmont.hrc@gmail.com.