Cambridge Council Unanimously Bans ICE Officer Hiring, Directs Immigration Ordinance Update

CAMBRIDGE — February 9, 2026 — Cambridge City Council votes 9-0 on dual immigration enforcement orders and moves to formalize shelter renovation talks. The council unanimously passed Policy Order No. 1, directing the Law Department to examine whether Cambridge can bar the Cambridge Police Department from hiring former ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, or Customs and Border Protection officers — amended by Councillor Burhan Aziz Al-Zubi to remove a January 20, 2025 hire-date limit — and Policy Order No. 4, directing the Law Department to draft ordinance language barring city property, facilities, and personnel from being used for federal civil immigration enforcement, with a function-based definition covering any agency acting in an immigration enforcement capacity. City Solicitor Megan Bayer warned that civil service law makes the hiring bar legally difficult without a home rule petition. Councillor Sabrina Denise Wheeler, co-sponsor of Policy Order No. 1, said the order is about protecting Cambridge residents from officers trained in methods "deeply at odds with our values." The council also voted 9-0 to begin formal discussions with MIT and CASPAR on renovating 240 Albany Street, which Councillor Marc McGovern described as having "leaks in the roof, mold, broken showers, and failing boilers" after 50-plus years without meaningful upgrades. A real estate transfer fee home rule petition was laid on the table 6-3 after Councillor Timothy Flaherty sought to shift fee liability from the seller to the buyer before the petition is sent to the legislature.