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Graham: N.H. plans ban on sanctuary policies

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Graham: N.H. plans ban on sanctuary policies


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.

 

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Woman dies in Wilton, NH house fire – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Woman dies in Wilton, NH house fire – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.

At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.

A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.

Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.

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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.

(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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N.H. woman accused of civil rights violation after allegedly shooting at lost man because he was Black

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N.H. woman accused of civil rights violation after allegedly shooting at lost man because he was Black


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Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.

A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.

Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.

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Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.

Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.

In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.

During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.

When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote. 

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Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.

While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.

As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.

While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.

“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.

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Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.

To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.

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Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast

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Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast


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It may be March, but winter in New Hampshire is far from over. Just one week after a blizzard tore through the state with heavy snow and high winds, the state is getting another round of snowfall.

The state will get three to five inches during the evening and night of Tuesday, March 3, says the National Weather Service (NWS) of Gray, Maine. While the accumulation will not be significant, the snowfall may cause dangerous road conditions and a layer of ice on the ground in certain parts of the state.

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Here’s what to know before tonight’s snow in New Hampshire, including snow totals and timing.

When will it snow in NH tonight?

According to the NWS, it will start snowing in New Hampshire during mid-afternoon or early evening and continue through the night. Specifically, snow will arrive to the southern part of the state around 2-3 p.m., spreading northwards through the rest of New Hampshire by 5 p.m.

Rain or freezing rain will mix in later this evening across southern New Hampshire, creating a wintry mix. All precipitation should move out of the state by midnight.

Due to the timing of today’s snowfall, the Tuesday evening commute will be affected, with the NWS warning to slow down and exercise caution while driving.

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How much snow will NH get tonight?

New Hampshire will get one to four inches of snow tonight, with one to two inches in northern New Hampshire, two to three inches in southern New Hampshire and three to four inches in the center of the state, with the possibility for five inches in localized areas.

In the Seacoast specifically, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton and York are expected to get between two to three inches of snow, while Dover, Exeter and Rochester may get up to four.

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The wintry mix may also cause a light glaze of ice across southern New Hampshire.

NH weather watches and warnings

The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for the state of New Hampshire, in effect from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

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