Plymouth County Jail Immigration Detention Faces Scrutiny at Community Forum

League of Women Voters event brings immigration law enforcement discussions close to home

PLYMOUTH - September 8 - Immigration detention at Plymouth County Correctional Facility expanded dramatically from 150 to 500 beds this year as federal authorities ramp up arrests of immigrants in Massachusetts communities, legal experts told a packed audience at a League of Women Voters forum Monday evening.

The Full Story

The forum, held at Plymouth's local access television studio, brought together Laura Rotolo, field director for the ACLU of Massachusetts, Leah Hastings, an attorney with Prisoners’ Legal Services, and Laurie Fitzpatrick, co-founder of grassroots organization Together We Can, to discuss the current state of immigration enforcement and detention in Massachusetts.

Rotolo explained that Plymouth County Jail now serves as one piece of a rapidly expanding detention system that will reach 107,000 beds nationally by year's end, up from 40,000 at the start of 2025. "Congress has given ICE $45 billion in the last budget," she said. "We cannot exaggerate the amount of growth in detention that we're seeing now."

The most significant change, according to the legal experts, is who is being detained. Hastings noted that rather than receiving transfers from border states as in previous years, "we're seeing a lot more people who are being picked up in their communities here in Massachusetts. People being picked up at traffic stops, people getting picked up on their way to work, people getting picked up at work, people getting picked up dropping their kids off at school."

This shift represents a fundamental change in immigration enforcement, Rotolo emphasized. "It is not just people who are undocumented. It is not just people who have committed crimes," she said. "It's people who are in the middle of a process to apply for a visa, to apply for status. It's people who are showing up to court as they're supposed to because they're in the process of getting status."

The human impact of these policies was illustrated through the story of Betty and Jean France, a Haitian family currently experiencing detention. Fitzpatrick recounted how Jean France was arrested during a traffic stop while picking up his daughter from work, then taken by ICE agents from Plymouth Courthouse while awaiting a court-appointed translator for his case.

"While awaiting a court-appointed translator, because he speaks Haitian Creole, for his case to be heard, ICE was stalking the courtroom and was heard by a local bystander, 'how are we going to catch him?'" Fitzpatrick said. "At the recess, they snatched him from the courthouse, illegally detained him with no due process or explanation."

Jean France was initially held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility for 12 days before being transferred to a facility in Berlin, New Hampshire. His wife Betty told Fitzpatrick, "I'm scared for myself and my girls. My daughters are afraid to attend school, and I don't want to be taken too."

The legal experts addressed several misconceptions about detention and due process. Unlike criminal cases, immigration detention involves civil proceedings, meaning people can be held without being charged with crimes. Department of Homeland Security data indicates 85 percent of people detained have not committed any crime whatsoever.

ICE operates with administrative warrants signed by agents rather than judges, which limits their authority to enter private spaces without consent. However, as Hastings cautioned, "ICE and the police can lie to you, and you're not allowed to lie to them."

The forum also highlighted concerning conditions at ICE's Burlington field office, where people are now being held for extended periods in a space not designed for detention. Hastings described reports of people lacking access to medical care and feminine hygiene supplies in crowded conditions.

Local officials have leverage over these policies, the panelists emphasized. Sheriff Joseph McDonald is an elected official whose six-year term runs until 2028. His decision to maintain an Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) with ICE generates revenue for the county but enables federal detention operations.

The discussion revealed tension within immigrant communities about detention center closure. Some families prefer keeping Plymouth County detention open so they can maintain contact with detained relatives, while others want the facility shut down entirely. "This is a position that ICE is creating," Hastings said. "These are decisions that we're being forced into by an incredibly violent system."

The panelists warned about 287G agreements, which allow local law enforcement to act as immigration agents. While Massachusetts has one such agreement with the Department of Corrections, the number of these pacts nationally has grown from 135 to 956 this year. "We absolutely do not want our state to be the ones that are helping this deportation machine," Rotolo said.

The forum was moderated by Jen Muroff, Legislative Action Chair for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, with opening remarks by Celia Canavan, the organization's executive director.

Why It Matters

Plymouth County voters directly elect the sheriff who decides whether to continue housing ICE detainees, making local engagement crucial. With immigration arrests targeting people previously considered low priority - including those with legal status and pending applications - any immigrant family in Plymouth County could face separation through detention and deportation.

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Public Comment

The forum included extensive audience questions submitted via note cards covering warrant requirements, due process rights, local organizing opportunities, and the debate over detention center closure versus transfer of detainees to distant facilities.

What's Next

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts will host a Lobby Day on Thursday, September 18th at the State House to support the Safe Communities Act and other immigrant protection legislation. Witness Wednesday demonstrations continue every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. at Plymouth County Correctional Center to highlight detention of people not charged with crimes.

Full forum available via The Local Seen.