Massachusetts Sheriff Frees Gun Suspect

Sheriffs Office sign on brick building faade.

A Massachusetts sheriff released a man charged with illegal possession of a high-capacity firearm without telling federal immigration agents — and then called ICE the bully.

Story Snapshot

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux released Jose Raul Martinez Alvarado after bail was posted, refusing to honor a federal immigration detainer or notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Heroux says a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling bars his office from holding anyone past bail solely on an ICE detainer without a special federal agreement in place.
ICE criticized the release on social media; Heroux fired back, calling the post “unprofessional,” a “political attack,” and compared ICE’s tactics to those of the Gestapo.
ICE agents rearrested Martinez Alvarado on their own after the sheriff’s office let him go, raising questions about public safety and who is really responsible for the gap.

What the Sheriff Did — and Why He Says He Had No Choice

When Martinez Alvarado posted bail, Sheriff Heroux’s office released him without notifying ICE. Heroux says the 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision in Lunn v. Commonwealth requires it. Under that ruling, local jails cannot hold someone past their release date based solely on a civil immigration detainer. Without a formal federal cooperation agreement — called a 287(g) agreement — Heroux says his hands are tied. “Under the Lunn decision, we are not allowed to hold somebody past when the bail is posted. We have to release them,” he said at a July 2, 2026 press conference.

Heroux also cited a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that bars state governments from enforcing federal immigration law. He added that he won’t voluntarily share information with ICE because, in his words, “ICE routinely violates people’s civil rights,” and he doesn’t want his office named as a co-defendant if something goes wrong. That’s a strong claim — and former ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons pushed back directly, saying “a lot of it just wasn’t true.” Still, a 2021 Massachusetts Attorney General report did find that the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office — under the previous sheriff — had violated detainees’ civil rights, which adds context to Heroux’s concern.

ICE Hits Back on Social Media — and Heroux Goes to War

After the release, ICE Boston posted criticism of the sheriff’s office on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Heroux called the post “very unprofessional” and a “political attack” meant to “mislead the public.” He accused ICE of trying to bully his office into breaking state law. The rhetoric escalated fast. Heroux compared ICE’s behavior to that of the Gestapo — a charged word that drew attention but weakened his argument by swapping facts for insults. He also announced he has “no intention of working with ICE at all,” which goes beyond legal compliance and into open policy defiance.

ICE agents, for their part, did not wait around. They rearrested Martinez Alvarado on their own after the sheriff let him go. That outcome matters. It shows ICE can still act — but it also shows the system has a gap. A man charged with unlawful possession of a high-capacity firearm walked free, even briefly, without federal agents being told. Whether that gap is a legal inevitability or a policy choice is exactly what both sides are fighting about.

A Bigger Battle Playing Out Across the Country

This standoff is not unique to Bristol County. At least 15 states have passed laws limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. That has created a predictable collision: federal agencies issue detainers, and local jails — bound by state law — ignore them. The Trump administration has made deportation a top priority, and that pressure is turning routine legal disagreements into public battles. ICE detainers are formal requests to hold someone for up to 48 hours beyond their release so federal agents can take custody. But in states like Massachusetts, courts have ruled those requests are voluntary — not mandatory.

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux is slamming ICE over a recent social media post he claims is trying to pressure his office into breaking the law. Story: https://t.co/0dJMIyYsyq pic.twitter.com/zlad7H2FZj

— WPRI 12 (@wpri12) July 8, 2026

Here is the tension most people feel regardless of politics: a man with serious firearm charges was released without anyone telling the federal government. The sheriff says the law made him do it. ICE says the sheriff chose not to cooperate. Both things can be partly true — and that is exactly the kind of broken system that frustrates people on both the left and the right. Local officials point to court rulings. Federal agents point to public safety. Meanwhile, the public is left wondering why two arms of law enforcement can’t find a way to work together when it actually matters. The 287(g) agreement that once existed between ICE and Bristol County is gone. Without it, this fight will keep happening.