Merrimack Valley Mayor: ICE 'Incapable and Unprepared'

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more commonly known as ICE, is "incapable and unprepared," according toLawrence Mayor Dan Rivera.

Rivera told WCVB's "On the Record" in an interview that aired Sunday morning that while many communities in America worry about whether ICE should be used by President Trump to enforce federal immigration laws, he wonders whether ICE even can.

"The reality is - and it's kind of like the dirty secret and no one talks about it this - is that ICE is totally incapable and unprepared to do any of this stuff," Rivera said. "If we don't tell them, 'Hey we have six bad guys,' they won't even know because they don't have the bodies to go over it."

A "chief" in one community - not Lawrence - told Rivera that they had a "DEA level" person in hand.

"ICE never got him. And he got released," Rivera said.

Materials from the State House News Service was used in this report

Photo from City of Lawrence