The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted this week to not sign an agreement with ICE to take over some immigration functions. The department has declined since last spring to enter such a deal, known as a 287g agreement, but the issue is becoming increasingly political as a growing number of departments in the state sign on.
Manchester Police Chief Peter Marr said the agreement isn’t necessary, since the department already cooperates with ICE in the course of their duties. He added that the department is currently understaffed and doesn’t have the officers to allocate to additional immigration enforcement. He also noted that ICE already has a presence in the city: New Hampshire’s only ICE field office is in downtown Manchester.
“Part of my job is managing the resources of the Manchester Police Department and I don't think having our officers do federal work when their office is here, their agents are here – I don't think it's a good use of resources.” he said at a meeting at City Hall this week.
Since January of 2025, 92 people have been arrested for immigration-related matters in Manchester, according to federal data obtained by the nonprofit Deportation Data Project. These were carried out largely by ICE officers, as only nine were tagged as belonging to a 287(g) program.
But as ICE arrests by local police increase and more agencies in the state sign on to a 287(g) agreement, Manchester is facing pressure from state and local Republicans to join the 24 other New Hampshire departments that have active agreements with ICE.
Republican Alderman Ed Sapienza said the program would let the city get additional federal funding and “connect the bureaucratic dots” since Manchester already works with ICE.
“We just ask that we improve the communication and cooperation between the Manchester Police Department and the federal authorities in the pursuit of law and order,” he said.
But Alderman Jason Bonilla, a Democrat from one of the most diverse wards in the city, said signing one of these agreements would undermine work the police have done to reach out to the immigrant and refugee residents.
“We need them to call. We need them to cooperate, especially within an investigation,” he said. ”Our police members of our Manchester Police Department have committed to protecting and serving all. That means, serving all, regardless of status.”
In the end, the overwhelming majority of the aldermen voted to keep the status quo – but the vote is largely symbolic since a state law passed last year keeps local governments from passing ordinances that would prohibit their local police departments from signing a 287(g) agreement.
