What We Have Here Is A Breakdown In Apprehension -

Using SNA To Investigate Divergent Federal and Local Policies Towards Undocumented Migrants

Situation
Federal, state, and local authorities are increasingly clashing on when and how to police migrants in the community, especially the undocumented. In many ways, these jurisdictional clashes are not unique, and in fact are increasing in number. The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, has been expanding its arrest operations dramatically against undocumented migrants in the US. In order to expand its operations in deporting undocumented migrants and enforcing US immigration law, it has gone after undocumented migrants in areas such as courts, schools, and hospitals.1 In 2017, ICE even went so far as to arrest an undocumented woman in an El Paso domestic violence court as she was pressing charges against her ex-boyfriend.2
Local authorities have begun to rebel against ICE’s increasing encroachment on their traditional jurisdictions. Many local judges and law enforcement authorities find that ICE’s enforcement operations make it harder for local migrants to step forward as witnesses in investigations, and to seek help when they need it.3 However, even in this defiant atmosphere a 2018 incident in a Boston court stands out: In April that year, Jose Medina-Perez was brought before Judge Shelley Joseph to stand trial for drug related charges. Perez was flagged as undocumented by ICE during his arrest, and the agency sent two officers to arrest him. When Judge Joseph learned of their arrival, she and then court officer Wesley MacGregor allegedly assisted Perez in evading the agents.4
These allegations, if true, would be very troubling for American immigration policy, human rights in the US, and federal-local government relations. Without clear and well defined jurisdictions over migrants, different government agencies would be competing with each other to enforce their own prerogatives. The ability of the US government to enforce federal law would rapidly decline without the assistance of state and local authorities. In turn, state and local authorities would be hard pressed to keep order in their migrant communities if they cannot coordinate with federal agencies. Finally, the migrants themselves would suffer most of all, since they would have no institutions to reliably turn to if a crime has been committed against them or their neighbors, nor would they have any reason to respond to summons from local authorities with the threat of deportation looming over their heads.

Questions
What social network ties did the actors in the April 25 court room escape have, and what role did these connections play in the incident?

Hypothesis
Null hypothesis: There will be no bilateral network connections between the ICE authorities and Judge Joseph’s court before the April incident.
Alternative hypothesis: There will be network connections between the ICE authorities and Judge Joseph’s court before the April incident.

Methodology
I think that social network analytics could shed light on why the court incident unfolded the way it did, and how communication takes place between different levels of government on migrant policing. I will measure communications between Boston’s ICE office and the local officials in Judge Joseph’s court. Specifically, I will investigate the communications over Jose Medina-Perez’s arrest to see how they were tied before the incident. This could give an insight as to what coordination (or lack thereof) took place before the trial, and how a conflict could possibly have gotten started.I will also see if there was any direct communication between Joseph’s office and ICE, or if there was not. Using these, I will create a network map showing working relations between the offices of federal and local government in Boston.

Data
The data will draw from public records of Jose Medina-Perez’s arrest. Such records could include ICE’s detainer against Perez, or communications from local police to ICE alerting them to Perez’s arrest. ICE keeps records of its retainers and documents, which could aid in my investigation of the incident.5 I will also investigate records from the trial, such as testimony and actions taken by the actors present. If these records are not available, I could also interview participants, or at least those with knowledge of communications between offices. Gaps could also be filled by media reports of the events around the escape, although these would be less than desirable than primary sources.

Challenges
I envision some challenges to constructing my network: First, not all of the records on coordination between ICE and local authorities might be public. Some of it may be have legally restricted access, while others might take time to access due to procedural reasons. Second, it may be hard to prioritize which communications to use for my network analysis. Given the number of agencies and actors involved, there are several potential connections to investigate for my network. Finally, some of the records of connections might have been intentionally destroyed by some of the actors. Judge Joseph herself allegedly halted the recording of court proceedings as she allegedly assisted in Perez’s escape5, and it may be that other records may be missing as well, accidentally or otherwise.

Bibliography
ICE Arrests at Courts Decried: Suits Say Justice is being Disrupted." Boston Globe, Mar 16, 2018. https://login.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/docview/2014080403?accountid=14434.
Schladen, Marty. “ICE Detains Alleged Domestic Violence Victim.” El Paso Times. El Paso Times, February 16, 2017. https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2017/02/15/ice-detains-domestic-violence-victim-court/97965624/.
"Judge Limits ICE Arrests at Courts: Civil Actions Put on Hold as Mass. Lawsuit Plays Out." Boston Globe, Jun 21, 2019. https://login.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/docview/2245477157?accountid=14434.
Dooling, Shannon. “Mass. Judge, Retired Court Officer Face Federal Charges For Allegedly Helping Defendant Evade ICE.” Mass. Judge, Retired Court Officer Face Federal Charges For Allegedly Helping Defendant Evade ICE | WBUR News. WBUR, April 25, 2019. https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/04/25/joseph-macgregor-obstruction-conspiracy-charges-ice.
Homan, Thomas D. Policy Number 10074.2: Issuance of Immigration Detainers by ICE Immigration Officers. Federal Enterprise Architecture Number: 306-112-002b § (2017).
Gonzales, Richard. “Massachusetts State Judge Suspected Of Aiding An Immigrant To Flee ICE.” Massachusetts State Judge Suspected Of Aiding An Immigrant To Flee ICE | WBUR News. WBUR, December 4, 2018. https://www.wbur.org/npr/673091518/massachusetts-state-judge-suspected-of-aiding-an-immigrant-to-flee-ice.