ICE detains two in Acton amid statewide enforcement surge
ICE had no contact with Acton police, but can see when fingerprints are entered into databases, police said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained two people here on Sunday after Acton police arrested one of them on a drunk driving charge, authorities confirmed.
Acton police Lt. Timothy Landers said the local department booked Eduardo Calderon Navarro after flagging him down for a marked lanes violation. He was also charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, first offense, according to Landers.
ICE had no contact with the town’s police force, but the federal agency can see when fingerprints are entered into law enforcement databases, Landers said.
He said police released Navarro on personal recognizance. ICE agents were waiting outside to detain both him and the person who picked him up from the station, Landers said.
Acton officials have highlighted an informal policy under which CPD neither complies nor interferes with immigration enforcement. Landers said the policy held in this case.
“We had nothing to do with it,” he said.
This is at least the second time ICE has detained people outside Acton’s police station since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
A similar case played out in May, when agents detained a driver and his mother after his release on $250 bail following an arrest on traffic warrants.
In both cases, ICE agents were waiting outside police headquarters. Since the station’s parking lot is public, Landers said CPD can’t stop people from waiting there.
ICE officials recently announced a statewide enforcement surge. Dubbed Operation Patriot 2.0, the effort follows a similar blitz in May, during which nearly 1,500 people were taken into custody.
Even as ICE ramps up operations, Landers said they have got the message about Acton’s practices.
“They don’t even call us anymore now, because they know they’re not going to get any information,” he said.
An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Acton Bridge inquiry about this case.
Court records showed Navarro was scheduled for arraignment on Monday, but did not appear.
The police report for Navarro’s arrest was not available through Acton District Court because he had not been arraigned.
The Acton Bridge has requested the report through CPD.
Court records didn’t list any attorney information for Navarro as of Tuesday afternoon.
