Granite State Republican Kelly Ayotte successfully ran for governor on a campaign warning voters, “Don’t MASS Up New Hampshire.” And now the Boston City Council is giving her the chance to put those words into action.
On Wednesday, Boston’s all-Democrat council voted 13-0 to reaffirm the city’s commitment to its Boston Trust Act sanctuary policies.
Specifically, Boston police are banned from holding an illegal immigrant solely on the basis of a civil detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are also not allowed to inform ICE when an illegal immigrant is being released from jail.
For example, ICE announced earlier this week it had to track down Julio Esteban Batista-Castillo, 24, an illegal immigrant who had been arraigned in Roxbury District Court “on multiple assault and battery charges, kidnapping, malicious destruction of property, breaking and entering and home invasion.
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“Batista has been accused of very serious crimes, including assault and battery involving strangulation and a firearm,” said ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “So ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer against him with the Roxbury District Court — a simple request for law enforcement officers to hold him in custody for a short time so our officers could arrest him in a safe, controlled setting. Unfortunately, the detainer was not honored, putting everyone in the community and our officers at risk.”
Boston’s city council reiterated its support for this policy in response to the election of Donald Trump and his calls for “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants. Ayotte responded the next day with a statement of her own.
“Our neighbors to the south seem intent on proving that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. As they struggle with a billion-dollar illegal immigrant crisis, they are instead choosing to double down,” Ayotte said.
“Here in New Hampshire, we are going to ban sanctuary policies and give law enforcement the tools to work together to ensure this crisis never comes to our towns.”
Part of that work is passing a ban on sanctuary cities in the Granite State. One such bill passed the state Senate last year, but died in the closely-divided New Hampshire House, thanks to unanimous opposition from Democrats.
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Ayotte and her fellow Republicans made the sanctuary city issue a central part of their campaigns. Voters responded by giving Ayotte a nine-point victory over Democrat Joyce Craig and handing Republicans a 222-178 majority in the House.
“With a GOP majority in the House and Senate, I look forward to working with Senate President (Sharon) Carson (R-Londonderry) and Speaker (Sherman) Packard (R-Londonderry) to get the sanctuary city ban passed as quickly as possible and on my desk to sign it,” Ayotte said.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts continues making headlines as it defends sanctuary policies and deals with the consequences.
Last month, ERO Boston released a press statement announcing three separate arrests of illegal immigrants charged with or convicted of sex crimes:
— An illegal immigrant from Guatemala arrested on charges of raping a child and indecent assault and battery against a minor in Great Barrington.
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— An illegal immigrant from Colombia charged with child rape, statutory rape, and aggravated rape of a minor in Pittsfield.
— A third arrest, this one in Methuen, though the illegal immigrant was convicted of child rape in Brazil and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Those stories haven’t stopped Massachusetts Democrats from embracing sanctuary policies.
Last month, elected officials in Somerville voted to reaffirm itself as a “Welcoming Community” — meaning officials will continue the city’s “voluntary involvement in federal immigration enforcement.”
“The Somerville Police Department shall not take part in or assist with federal immigration enforcement operations,” the resolution states.
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And Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey has said her administration will “use every tool” to thwart the incoming Trump administration’s enforcement of federal immigration laws.
Asked about Democrats in the legislature who might be re-thinking their support for sanctuary cities in the wake of last month’s elections, Ayotte said they should.
“I heard loud and clear on the campaign trail that this is an important issue to the voters. It’s important to keep people safe, and it’s also important that we follow and enforce the laws,” she said. “I would welcome any Democrats who want to support this bill because public safety should be a bipartisan issue.”
Michael Graham is the managing editor of InsideSources.com.
CONCORD, NH — Here are the Top 10 most popular stories and posts from around New Hampshire Patch sites last week.
Concord Police Investigating The Death Of A Young Child In The City’s South End Neighborhood: Update: Dakin Street was closed to traffic for several hours during an investigation of a child found dead at a duplex on Friday morning.
Facebook Marketplace Cleaning Services Hire Or Sex Sale Gone Bad Leads To Stabbing In Manchester: Court docs: Frank Miller of Manchester and Kendra Gokey, a homeless woman, were arrested on first-degree assault and other charges Sunday.
Man Shot During Dispute On South State Street In Downtown Concord: Video: Breaking: A man was shot in the leg Saturday during a dispute; cops have South State Street from Thompson to Concord closed to traffic.
Fast Food Chain Closing Locations | Queen City Killing | Meth Distributor Pleads Guilty | More: Nearby News: Also: Best sandwich shop in NH; untimely death; crashes; knife attack indictments; firefighter injured in explosion released from hospital.
After The Snow Sunday And Monday, More Is Coming To New Hampshire, Forecasters Say: After the storm that is expected to bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to the state, more snowstorm fronts are expected to arrive this week.
6 To 15 Inches Of Snow Heading To The Granite State Sunday Night; Wind Gusts Up To 45 mph: Forecasters: Heavy, blinding snow is expected in central and southern New Hampshire, as well as the Seacoast, from Sunday night to Monday morning.
National Fast Food Chain To Close Hundreds Of Restaurants; New Hampshire Locations May Be Impacted: The chain that closed hundreds of locations in 2024 expects to shutter approximately 360 nationwide during the first half of 2026.
Police Arrest Man On Felony Charges After South State Street Shooting In Downtown Concord: Follow-Up: David Anziani faces first-degree and second-degree assault, reckless conduct, and felonious firearm charges after a shooting on Saturday.
Hollis Teen Faces Assault Charge, Accused Of An ‘Unprovoked’ Attack In Downtown Nashua In November: Connor Cook was arrested in late December after being accused of punching another man in the face on Main Street and then fleeing the scene.
How Much Income Is Needed To Be Considered ‘Rich’ In New Hampshire?: A new analysis details the annual household income required to be considered among the top 10 percent of earners in the Granite State.
Here are some other posts readers may have missed:
Child Death Investigation | Queen City Tax Cap Fight | Fun Things To Do This Weekend | More: PM Patch NH
CONCORD, N.H. – New Hampshire lawmakers have moved to reject a Republican-backed proposal to launch an impeachment inquiry into the lone Democrat on the state’s five-member Executive Council.
On Friday, a key committee of lawmakers delivered a unanimous 17-0 vote against an impeachment inquiry into Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill of Lebanon, N.H.
The vote on House Resolution 41 followed an abbreviated public hearing, after the bill’s sponsor withdrew his support for the proposal and instead asked lawmakers on the committee to recommend killing it.
The push for Liot Hill’s impeachment was led by Representative Joe Sweeney, a Salem Republican and the deputy majority leader in the New Hampshire House.
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At issue were several emails Liot Hill had sent from her official account to help a partisan law firm identify voters impacted by a new state law. The law tightened voter ID requirements for absentee ballots.
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Sweeney had previously called Liot Hill’s correspondence “political lawfare run out of a taxpayer-funded inbox.” In December, a review by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office found that Liot Hill’s conduct was not illegal and did not constitute a misuse of office, clearing the complaint against her.
Reached by the Globe on Friday, Sweeney, who was not present at the public hearing, said in a statement he preferred to let voters decide whether Liot Hill should continue to serve in the upcoming November election.
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“After reviewing the matter and hearing the discussion, I believe the appropriate course is to move forward and allow the voters and the political process to do their work,” he said.
“The purpose of filing the resolution was to ensure that the constitutional questions raised were addressed seriously and transparently,” he said, noting that he stands by the process and the decision to recommend killing the resolution.
In an interview, Liot Hill said she was pleased with the unanimous vote from the House Judiciary Committee.
“The committee vote, I think, sends the message that there was no merit to this,” she said.
The proposal now heads to the full House of Representatives, which has the power to approve the committee’s recommendation to reject it.
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
