Cambridge, MA Immigration Policy: Sanctuary Policy Preemption (2026)

Adopted as Ordinance No. 129 declares Cambridge a Welcoming City and sets binding rules on city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. 040(C) provides that the Cambridge Police Department "will not initiate investigations or take law enforcement action on the sole basis of actual or perceived immigration status" and "shall not take part in or assist with federal immigration enforcement operations," apart from a narrow safety-perimeter exception. 040(D) bars any officer or employee from arresting or detaining someone solely on the basis of an ICE detainer or ICE administrative warrant, including extending a detention once the person would otherwise be released.

040(E) prohibits Cambridge police from giving ICE a detained person's incarceration status, length of detention, home or work address, or hearing information, beyond what state public-records law already requires. 040(H) bars ICE agents from accessing anyone in Cambridge Police custody, in person, by phone, or by videoconference, except in response to a judicial warrant or court order. 040(G) requires police to hand a detained person any ICE detainer, administrative warrant, or related paperwork the department has on them. 060 covering detainer requests received, people detained or transferred to ICE custody, and reimbursements received from the federal government for any granted detainer.