Senators demand ICE investigate Burlington detention facility
BURLINGTON — U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have demanded a full investigation into the ICE Boston Field Office, located in Burlington, after a woman held there told WCVB she has had to "beg" for basic necessities. The senators' push comes as Town Hall separately alerts residents to mosquito-control spraying happening across Burlington this month.
TOWN HALL
Markey and Warren sent a letter to the ICE Boston Field Office demanding a complete accounting of conditions inside the Burlington facility, according to a release from Markey's office. The letter followed the senators' oversight visit to a Maine ICE field office after a fatal shooting there, and it lands the same week a detainee's account of the Burlington site drew fresh scrutiny (see Elsewhere in the News, below).
Separately, the town's official News Flash is alerting residents that the East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project is active across Burlington this July, part of the district's seasonal spraying and larvicide work. The town also posted an explainer on what May's Annual Town Meeting decisions mean going forward for residents, walking through the practical effects of articles approved at that session.
SCHOOLS
Burlington Public Schools highlighted Marshall Simonds Middle School students who took part in a statewide civics challenge, using the competition to research and present local and state history. The district's calendar also shows the Fox Hill Elementary School Building Committee meeting Tuesday, July 21 (see Coming Up).
COMMUNITY & ARTS
The town marked "You Are Not Alone," a Mental Health Awareness Night described as a community gathering aimed at reducing stigma and connecting residents with local support resources. The town's public calendar also lists three new drop-in programs starting this week: Tween Patriotic Diamond Art and an American History Virtual Trivia Night, both Monday, July 20, followed by "Patriots and Potters," a storytelling and live pottery demonstration on Tuesday, July 21.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
"Woman in ICE custody in Burlington, Mass. says she has had to 'beg' for basic needs" — a detainee described being held in a small cell with seven other women inside the Burlington ICE facility, according to WCVB. (read it at https://www.wcvb.com/article/woman-ice-custody-burlington-beg-for-basic-needs/73174727)
"Family-Owned Retailer Opens Burlington Mall Location" — jewelry brand gorjana has opened its first Massachusetts store at Burlington Mall, part of the mall's continued retail expansion this year, per Burlington Patch. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/burlington/family-owned-retailer-opens-burlington-mall-location)
COMING UP
Burlington Mall's newest tenant is already open. Ahead this week: the Elementary School Building Committee/School Committee meets Tuesday, July 21, at 6 p.m. via Webex; Marshall Simonds Middle School holds back-to-back sixth grade Meet/Greet sessions Tuesday, July 21 (2-4 p.m.) and Thursday, July 23 (5-7 p.m.); and Burlington Patch's community calendar lists a book signing for "The Zen Time Traveler" author Stephen Billias on Sunday, July 19.