The bureaucratic tiff comes as immigration enforcement remains at the fore of pubic debate, and as President-elect Donald Trump has vowed mass deportations.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials disputed claims from the Boston Police Department that it refused 15 requests to detain people who faced deportation last year, saying police in fact denied nearly 200 such requests.

The Boston Police Department acknowledged that federal authorities may have issued a higher number of immigration detainer requests in 2024 than what was reported by the BPD commissioner, citing

ICE says it issued 198 detainer requests with the Boston Police Department last year. BPD Commissioner Michael Cox said there were only 15.

The Boston Police Department refused all 15 civil requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement last year seeking cooperation in detaining people who faced deportation, meeting its obligation under a city law that limits police involvement with federal immigration matters.

Boston police say state and local laws prevent them from detaining a person solely based on immigration status.

The proposal would allow police to help with deportations, but the city’s law department says it violates state law. Advocates say it could also have a chilling effect on immigrant communities.