Bristol sheriff violated immigration detainees’ civil rights during May melee, attorney general says

Dec 15, 2020
Boston Globe
By Laura Crimaldi

Bristol Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson’s office illegally unleashed dogs on detainees, used excessive force, and violated the civil rights of 25 federal immigration detainees involved in a jailhouse melee in May, according to an investigation released Tuesday by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Healey said Hodgson’s office showed “callous disregard” for the detainees’ well-being. Her report does not recommend any criminal charges, but proposes the sheriff be barred altogether from housing federal detainees and participating in federal immigration enforcement.

“Our investigation revealed that the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office violated the rights of detainees by using excessive force and by seriously risking their health and safety,” Healey said in a statement.

Healey’s investigation centered on a May 1 confrontation between sheriff’s office personnel and detainees being held on civil immigration violations on behalf of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The sheriff’s office runs theC. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center and is paid by ICE to house immigration detainees.