On Wednesday, a 37-year-old mother was shot and killed by an ICE agent. I don’t have words to express my grief and outrage, but I know we cannot continue down this path.
A large crowd gathered outside Merrimack Town Hall on Thursday night, protesting a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility rumored to be coming to town.
Building a detention facility in Merrimack would make our town complicit in cruelty and human rights abuses. These facilities operate by warehousing human beings, often for months or years, under harsh conditions that dehumanize and traumatize adults and children alike. Detention has been shown to cause lasting psychological harm, particularly to asylum seekers and survivors of violence. No community that values dignity, fairness, and the rule of law should accept this.
Story Produced by NH Public Radio, a Member of CONCORD, NH – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has drafted
This proposal is not simply about square footage and bathrooms. It is about whether New Hampshire wants to participate in a system that treats human beings as cargo — to be warehoused and moved around without due process.
On Thursday, December 4th Governor Kelly Ayotte made a visit to the 211 NH call center where she had an opportunity to connect with the team answering over 70,000 inquiries from New Hampshire residents annually. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais also joined the group for a tour.
“If ICE can do its job effectively with its resources available currently in hand, then why are we trying to force ourselves into doing its job and trying to partner with ICE to house some of the inmates in our facility, which is not in good shape,” said State Rep. Sanjeez Manohar of Nashua.
People voiced their overwhelming opposition to Hillsborough County entering into an agreement with ICE to hold detainees at the Valley Street Jail during a public hearing Wednesday on the county’s proposed $147.4 million budget for 2026.
I appreciated Pat Grossmith’s article in the Manchester Ink Link on June 11, 2025, County explores housing ICE detainees at Valley Street jail; sheriff signs ICE enforcement contract.
Hillsborough County’s Sheriff Brian Newcomb has signed a contract with ICE, joining the task force cracking down on undocumented residents.