Troy Police Record Nearly 30 Immigration Arrests Under ICE Partnership

Most of the arrests in Troy have come during traffic stops along Route 12.

Troy police have taken about 15 people into custody this year and roughly a dozen more last year through an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to reports from Chief David Ellis.

The department is the only law enforcement agency in Cheshire County operating under a 287(g) agreement, a federal arrangement that allows local officers to assist with immigration enforcement. Supporters say the program can improve public safety, while opponents argue it can lead to arrests without a proper legal basis, weaken trust in local policing and consume time and money.

Most of the arrests in Troy have come during traffic stops along heavily traveled Route 12, where the speed limit drops once drivers enter town. Officers have pulled vehicles over for alleged traffic violations, then asked for identification. If an ICE database check shows the person is not legally in the United States or does not appear in federal records, police may detain that person and hand them over to ICE, Ellis said.

Ellis said ICE uses a large database that includes information on citizens and noncitizens and relies in part on facial recognition technology. He said only two of the people arrested fit the category of serious criminals. One of them, he said, was wanted in the Bronx on charges that included second-degree armed robbery, two second-degree assaults and two restraining orders. Most of the others, he said, had issues such as an expired visa or missed court appearances.

He also said some people have told him they avoided court because they were worried about deportation and allowed their visas to lapse instead. Aside from one incident last month, he said the arrests have generally gone smoothly. In that case, two people ran from a vehicle after it was stopped. One was quickly caught by a Troy officer, while the other was later found with help from a police dog. A third person stayed at the scene. All three were later determined to be in the country unlawfully and were arrested.

Two of last year’s immigration arrests happened outside the Cheshire County Courthouse in Keene, drawing concern from residents about Troy officers acting beyond town lines. Ellis said his department had authority to do that through mutual aid agreements among Cheshire County law enforcement agencies, but he said he later told ICE the department would not return to the courthouse for that purpose because of the public reaction.

ICE offers financial support to agencies involved in 287(g) agreements, including $7,500 for equipment for each trained officer and $100,000 for new vehicles. Ellis said he has not yet sought that money but intends to apply.

Local debate over the arrangement has already surfaced in Troy. At the March town meeting, many residents raised objections, but an effort to formally record the town’s position was tabled and no vote was held. That same month, voters in Gorham, Hampton and Ossipee approved measures opposing their local police departments’ participation in federal immigration enforcement through 287(g) agreements.

The Troy deal was not brought before the selectboard, according to board member Richard H. Thackston III. He said Monday that he sees no issue with the agreement because Congress authorized such arrangements under federal law. He also said it does not increase the town’s police costs, since the stops were already being made for traffic enforcement.

Thackston said some residents remain unhappy with the policy and pointed to regular Friday afternoon protests in the central square.