Sheriff makes first ICE arrests in Laconia through federal partnership program

Sheriffs made their first ICE arrests in the city this winter, making a total of seven arrests since December through the federal partnership with the Belknap County Sheriff’s Office.

In total, there have been nine confirmed ICE arrests in the Lakes Region since April 2025. Others were in Gilford and Holderness, by federal agents.

The Laconia arrests were on Feb. 3 and March 10. Sheriff Bill Wright said these were both “targeted” arrests. He said those are usually for undocumented immigrants who allegedly committed serious crimes, or for someone who came to the U.S. and “overstayed their welcome.”

Wright said it means “ICE reached out to us to get the person,” and “they were chasing a lead.”

Deputies went to a residence in Meredith, at 8:37 a.m. on Feb. 3, to search for someone wanted by ICE, who was not home. Wright said in the case where a targeted suspect isn’t at the residence, deputies will leave a business card with contact information and instructions. An hour later, at 9:42 a.m., the suspect arrived at the sheriff’s office, in Laconia, and turned themself in.

The March 10 arrest was for someone who had likely been in contact with ICE at some point, issued a citation, and didn’t show up for court, which led to issuing a warrant.

“My guys went to a residence in Laconia, and made an arrest for ICE,” Wright said.

Wright said in a Feb. 26 interview there are two scenarios where warrants are executed through ICE. One is targeted warrants, like those of Feb. 3 and March 10, and others are when an ICE warrant is simply discovered during another law enforcement interaction.

Last month, Wright said on Dec. 11, 2025, his deputies made four arrests in Alton, through the federal partnership program. A vehicle was pulled over by Alton oolice, and the occupants had ICE warrants. A deputy who was in the area responded to make the arrests.

On Jan. 29, Tilton police responded to a burglar alarm, and found someone at the scene had an ICE warrant.

There were also two arrests outside the partnership program, in Gilford, and in Holderness, both in 2025.

Gilford police were asked to check if a truck was parked at the Marriott on Sawmill Road the night before — which it was — and the next morning, an ICE representative called to say agents were there. The arrest was on April 22, 2025.

An arrest on Nov. 25, 2025, in Holderness, was captured on video by a bystander. The video was shared on social media, and showed several people who looked like law enforcement, one who was masked, apprehending a man. They did not partner with anyone from the Grafton County Sheriff’s Office, where one person is deputized.

The offices of U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, as well as U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, confirmed the Holderness arrest. Spokespeople for each office noted they were also trying to find information about the arrest.

ICE has not responded to repeated requests for information.

Federal partnership program

Wright has been pleased with the partnership program, not only because it has resulted in arrests, but because he and his staff have been the ones to make them. This gives him the ability to divulge information, and have a seat at the table to know what is going on with ICE locally.

“It belongs in the sheriff’s office,” Wright said. “If anyone is going to do it, it should be us.”

Wright has called himself a “constitutional officer” who believes in transparency, and said he will always provide as much information as possible. He said he works independently, not for a board or a commission which might sway his feelings.

Belknap deputies never wear masks, he said, which is also the case for SWAT. This is not a rule, but rather a preference of his deputies.

The Belknap Sheriff’s Office is the only Lakes Region law enforcement agency part of the ICE 287(g) partnership program. Once training is complete, the program authorizes deputies to perform immigration enforcement, such as making arrests and serving warrants.

The partnership program, relatively new for the Belknap Sheriff’s Office, was created by U.S. Congress in 1996, and implemented for the first time in 2002. This was due to “urgency” following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to Congress.gov.

The number of state and law enforcement agencies involved increased to 72 in 2011, and declined to 35 by the end of the Obama administration. However, in President Donald Trump’s first term, between January 2017 and September 2020, agreements increased 300%, from 35 to 150 agencies.

Belknap County submitted an application to sign onto the agreement in February 2025.

Other county sheriffs involved in the partnership program include Grafton with one member, 20 members from Hillsborough, and 24 members from Rockingham, according to information from the ACLU.

Police departments from Auburn, Candia, Carroll, Colebrook, Gorham, Ossipee, Pittsburg, and Troy all have officers deputized through the partnership. State Police also have troopers who are deputized ICE agents.

The federal agency has signed memorandums of agreement for partnership programs across 40 states, but New Hampshire is the only state in New England with local departments in the partnership.

Wright said until the Alton arrests in December, there were zero arrests made by his deputies through the partnership in nine months.

He said being a tourist destination between Canada and Massachusetts, the Lakes Region is a good spot to have the partnership.

Comparing the area to other parts of the country, he noted there aren’t vast sweeps, rounding up undocumented immigrants. However, while “it’s not 80 or 800” arrests, people are being detained locally.

Wright has a meeting with ICE in April to discuss how the partnership program is working so far.

Feedback from local leaders

Rep. Mike Bordes (R-Laconia) is not only the sitting chair of the Belknap County Delegation, but is also the mayor of Laconia. He is a proponent of the partnership, as it gives deputies the ability to act immediately, instead of waiting for federal agents to arrive.

“I’ll be direct: I support our sheriff, and I support the decision to join the 287(g) program,” Bordes said. “The recent arrests in Laconia and across Belknap County prove exactly why this partnership matters. These weren’t random stops. They were targeted individuals ICE was already looking for, some with warrants or prior violations. They were here in our community, not following our laws, and our sheriff’s department did exactly what they’re sworn to do.”

Bordes said it isn’t about politics, but basic public safety. He said when someone with an active warrant is in the county, he wants deputies to be able to handle it immediately.

“People can debate the program all day, but the facts are simple: these arrests were targeted, lawful, and carried out professionally,” Bordes said. “Our sheriff's deputies did their job. And I believe joining the 287(g) program was the right move for Laconia and for Belknap County.”

Rep. Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia) was interim mayor before Bordes was elected in November, and feels the opposite of Bordes about the partnership.

St. Clair said he heard a recent story on NPR about 41-year-old Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, an Afghan refugee who formerly aided U.S. troops. He came to America in 2021, when the country was evacuated after Kabul was taken over by the Taliban. Paktiawal lived in Texas, and when he was taking his children to school, he was stopped by unmarked vehicles and detained by masked agents.

Paktiawal was able to make a call to his brother, to tell him he was picked up by ICE. St. Clair said Paktiawal explained he had his papers, but because of a previous arrest, and the papers being allegedly out-of-date, he was being held. Paktiawal reportedly called his brother that night, said he was feeling strange and shaking, and the next morning, on March 14, he was dead.

St. Clair said the scary part is he was legally allowed to be in the country, and his cause of death is still undetermined.

“This is one of many stories,” St. Clair said, noting this was the 24th time someone died in ICE custody. “This program was developed to get the worst of the worst out of the country, and obviously that’s not what is going on.”

St. Clair related ICE to the Gestapo from Nazi Germany. “I see many similarities between the two.”

“I am not impressed at all that the Belknap County Sheriff’s Department is working with them hand-in-hand,” St. Clair said. “I’d rather see them working with someone else, and I just don’t see any value in it at all.”

He said the fact Belknap County is partnering with ICE doesn’t sit well with him, and it doesn’t represent what he considers the American way.

St. Clair was also quick to say his sentiments have nothing to do with political affiliation.

“This is the United States of America,” St. Clair said. “We have constitutional rights, and with these people, it goes right out the window. I am probably the only one on the delegation who feels that way, and that’s a shame.”