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Fact Sheets

March 16, 2007

Timeline for the Worksite Enforcement Operation at Michael Bianco, Inc.


Operation United Front:

December 29, 2006

  • ICE officials briefed outgoing and incoming state secretaries of public safety.
  • ICE asked for but was not offered state facilities for processing those to be arrested.
  • This meeting was key, but not the first between ICE and Mass. officials.
  • February 20, 2007

  • ICE officials met again with Secretary for Public Safety Burke and other Mass. officials.
  • ICE asked again about using state facilities. Without it ICE lacked bed space in Mass.
  • State officials offered public safety assistance during and after the operation.
  • February 28, 2007

  • The welfare of affected children was a key issue when ICE officials met with Under Secretary for Public Safety Schwartz, the New Bedford police chief and others on public safety assistance.
  • It was agreed that Under Secretary Schwartz would contact Department of Social Services (DSS) Commissioner Spence with limited information on the operation.
  • Plans for a child welfare triage team were begun. ICE stated that arrested persons responding that they would suffer an immediate child welfare issue would be conditionally released.
  • March 1, 2007

  • Under Secretary Schwartz advised that the governor’s legal counsel and chief policy advisors had been briefed, but that he was only “reasonably sure” that the governor had been briefed.
  • March 4, 2007

  • ICE officials briefed New Bedford officials, including the mayor.
  • Under Secretary Schwartz asked ICE to provide DSS with information during the operation on all arrestees. ICE agreed only for those who identified a child welfare problem.
  • March 5, 2007

  • A child welfare triage plan was established during a conference call by ICE officials with Under Secretary Schwartz, Commissioner Spence and Police Chief Teachman.
  • Commissioner Spence asked for DSS presence at New Bedford location.
  • Commissioner Spence was informed by ICE, and he understood, that DSS would not have access to the detainees at the criminal arrest and search location.
  • Commissioner Spence asked again to have access to all arrestees immediately. ICE reiterated, per the previous understanding, that it would pass information to DSS for those who identified a need.
  • ICE notified the staffs of Senators Kennedy and Kerry, as well as Representative Frank.
  • March 6, 2007

  • Operation United Front was conducted.
  • ICE interviewed arrestees at the worksite concerning child welfare issues. As a result, some were given conditional releases. The rest were transported to Fort Devens where additional conditional releases were made.
  • DSS Regional Director Gauthier told the ICE Senior Special Agent assigned to the child welfare triage team that her services would not be needed the next day.
  • A Guatemalan consulate representative and attorneys from Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) visited Fort Devens. The attorneys interviewed represented detainees for 8 hours.
  • Early email notifications, a press conference media alert, a press release and an afternoon conference call were provided to appropriate Congressional offices.
  • March 7, 2007

  • Director Gauthier advised ICE that there were no remaining child welfare issues, that the ICE child welfare triage representative was no longer needed, that no known children were left without proper care and that none had been taken into care by DSS.
  • Assistant Secretary Myers spoke with Governor Patrick by telephone.
  • Representatives from the consulates of El Salvador and Mexico visited Fort Devens.
  • GBLS attorneys returned to Fort Devens and interviewed clients for approximately 11 hours.
  • 22 DSS employees visited Fort Devens with access to all detainees except for 90 who had already been moved to Texas due to lack of bed space in Mass. They stayed 8 hours.
  • March 8, 2007

  • Under Secretary Schwartz stated that 37 children had been either taken into DSS care or required long-term care assistance. Deputy Commissioner Getman stated in another call that no children were in DSS care. ICE has never received information from DSS, the New Bedford Mayor, Police Chief Teachman, or school officials that any children were placed under DSS care at that time.
  • The Consul of Guatemala filed a petition, complaint, motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in the U. S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
  • Assistant Secretary Myers and other ICE officials conducted a follow-up conference call with Senators Kennedy and Kerry, Representatives Delahunt and Frank, Mass. Governor Patrick, Mass. Department of Social Services Commissioner Spence, and others. Assistant Secretary Myers agreed to permit DSS to re-interview detainees in Texas. DSS was also permitted to interview all detainees who had been moved to Texas (due to lack of bed space in Massachusetts) prior to DSS’s first round of interviews on March 7, 2007.
  • Ms. Myers also sent a letter to Mass. Governor Patrick to clarify ICE actions that were being inaccurately recounted by Mass. state government senior officials.
  • 116 detainees held at Fort Devens were moved to the El Paso Processing Center, Texas. 90 Salvadorans remained in Mass. jails. No detainees remained at Fort Devens.
  • March 9, 2007

  • Federal District Court Judge Richard Stearns issued an order after an evidentiary hearing on the temporary restraining order motion.
  • March 10, 2007

  • DSS representatives, lead by DSS Commissioner Spence visited the 90 detainees at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Texas. All of the detainees were interviewed that day by DSS employees. No child welfare issues were identified to ICE by DSS warranting conditional release at that time.
  • DSS representatives, lead by DSS Deputy Commissioner Susan Gettman visited 116 detainees at the El Paso Processing Center in Texas. All of the detainees were interviewed. These same detainees had been interviewed by DSS at Fort Devens on March 7.
  • March 11, 2007

  • DSS representatives at El Paso continued interviews for approximately two hours. No child welfare issues were identified warranting conditional release.
  • March 12, 2007

  • Four detainees identified by DSS and held in El Paso were confirmed by ICE to have child welfare or family health issues, and were subsequently returned to and conditionally released in New Bedford.
  • A representative from the Guatemalan consulate visited the detention center in El Paso.
  • March 14, 2007

  • Seven detainees held in the Port Isabel Detention Center in Texas identified by DSS and confirmed by ICE to have child welfare or family health issues were subsequently returned to and conditionally released in New Bedford.
  • March 15, 2007

  • One additional detainee held in the Port Isabel Detention Center in Texas was subsequently identified by DSS and confirmed by ICE to have child welfare issues and will be returned to and conditionally released in New Bedford.
  • March 16 and Continuing

  • ICE continues to address detainee child welfare, family health and other issues as they arise. Information on the operation and its aftermath continues to be provided to Congress, federal, state and local officials as permitted by law and as appropriate.
  • The total number of arrestees released on their own recognizance for child welfare or family health reasons is currently 95 of the 362 originally arrested.



  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.


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