Town of Amherst reaffirms sanctuary status after Northampton "resident" wanted for child rape taken into custody by ICE
ICE arrested an Ecuadorian fugitive in neighboring Northampton in July 2024
The college Town of Amherst reaffirmed its declaration as a “sanctuary community and as such shall not cooperate with ICE” after “officials were made aware of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action that resulted in residents being taken into custody in the nearby community of Northampton”
The Amherst statement did not mention which “residents” or the November election results.
But the only recently publicized ICE action in Northampton was the arrest of “Ecuadorian fugitive wanted in his home country to face charges of raping of a minor and invasion of privacy,” according to ICE.
“This Ecuadorian fugitive is facing some very serious charges, but instead of facing the justice system, he fled and attempted to take refuge in Massachusetts,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “He posed a significant threat to the children of our communities, and we cannot allow that to continue. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from New England.”
“Border Patrol arrested the Ecuadorian noncitizen June 4, 2021, after he unlawfully entered the United States near San Luis, Arizona. Border Patrol officials issued the noncitizen a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge and released him from custody.”
Amherst declared itself a sanctuary city by officially adopting a bylaw, revised and updated in April 2024 that according to the statement “declares the Town of Amherst as a sanctuary community and states clearly that:
To the extent permissible by law, a Town department, or officer or employee of a Town department shall not perform the functions of an immigration officer, whether pursuant to 8 U.S.C. §1357(g) or any other law, regulation, or policy, whether formal or informal.
The Amherst statement was released by:
Paul Bockelman, Town Manager
Pamela Nolan Young, Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Gabriel Ting, Chief of Police
Dr. E. Xiomara Herman, Superintendent of Schools