Protesters gathered at the Ash Street Jail & Regional Lock-Up in New Bedford on January 19 to oppose the sheriff's immigration investigation powers, use of inmates to build Trump's wall, and inmate fee.

The protest follows Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson's January 18 signing of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) program memorandum, a federal program that allows his team — and other local law enforcement officials — to conduct immigration investigations.

The New Beford branch of the Coalition for Social Justice was just one organization rallying outside the jail.

"High populations of minorities are incarcerated due to drug addiction," said organizer Maria Fortes. "It contradicts the message that we work well with our police officers here. In doing this, it paints [police officers] as the enemy."

Fortes added that it is not right for Hodgson to use taxpayers' money to fund programs that the majority of taxpayers disagree with, including President Donald Trump's proposal to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexican border. During the sheriff's inauguration ceremony, he offered to send inmates to build the wall.

"The majority of voters around the country have rejected Trump's wall," said Fortes. Many protesters referred to Hodgson's proposal as "slave labor" via signage they carried.

"We want to stand in solidarity against Trump building a wall," she added.

Hodgson said the proposal would fall under the Project N.I.C.E. program, through which inmates in Bristol County – and any sheriff’s departments that join the program – are sent to work on public works, infrastructure, and disaster recovery projects wherever they are needed.

"Sheriff Hodgson feels that these are solid programs that benefit taxpayers," said Jonathan Darling, spokesman for the sheriff's office. "We respect people's rights to protest peacefully."

Protesters also voiced opposition to Hodgson’s promise to reinstate a mandatory $5 per day inmate fee. Hodgson previously instituted the policy, collecting about $750,000 from inmates between 2002 and 2004, but the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2010 that he needed legislative approval for the program. Hodgson said a bill was introduced to the state legislature this year.

Darling said the office did have K9 patrolling during the protest. "We always have extra security on hand just in case inmates get riled up," he said. He added that the biggest commotion came from a New Bedford police officer asking protesters to stay out of the street due to traffic.