Between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10, local immigrant advocacy groups reported 10 detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in West Lebanon, N.H., Keene, N.H and Londonderry, V.T, according to an interview with the Granite State Organizing Project — New Hampshire’s largest grassroots organization whose aim is to “work together for a just society,” per its website.
A representative answering the GSOP’s hotline confirmed eight people were arrested Friday, Aug. 7, in the Upper Valley. Three occurred in West Lebanon and five “on the way to a construction site” in Londonderry, V.T, she said.
She said the presence of ICE “definitely felt like an increase” from baseline enforcement activity in the area.
“Usually [ICE] is looking for a specific person, so it’s not like the larger raids we’ve read about and seen in the other parts of the country,” she said.
While there “have been a lot of people on alert,” GSOP has not confirmed any incidents since Aug. 10, she added.
In an email statement to The Dartmouth, Lebanon city manager Andrew Hosmer confirmed the presence of ICE in Lebanon, though he said he could not provide information about any arrests.
“I’m aware of ICE activity occurring in the City of Lebanon,” Hosmer wrote. “I have no details concerning whether there have been arrests and if so, how many. The City is not acting in partnership with federal authorities in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Inquiries about specific activity in the area should be directed to Homeland Security.”
The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The Hanover Police department “has not been contacted” by ICE regarding “enforcement operations in Hanover,” Hanover police chief James Martin wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
“As with all law enforcement matters, HPD will continue to operate in accordance with the Town of Hanover’s Fair and Impartial Policing Ordinance, as well as applicable state and federal laws,” Martin wrote.
Hanover’s Fair and Impartial Policing Ordinance was formally revised to comply with state law under Governor Kelly Ayotte on Dec. 8, 2025, following a series of deliberations and public hearings at Selectboard meetings.
Under the current statute, HPD must comply with ICE detainers wherever required by state law, without exceptions for town policy. ICE detainers are requests from federal immigration authorities — not warrants from judges — that ask local law enforcement to hold people beyond the standard holding time for a crime.
Grafton County, which contains both Hanover and Lebanon, withdrew in May from a 287(g) agreement that allows local police officers to perform certain ICE functions after receiving training. No Upper Valley law enforcement agencies currently participate in the program, though New Hampshire State Police maintains a 287(g) agreement with ICE. The Grafton County Sheriff’s office did not respond to a voicemail for comment on recent ICE activity.
The reported detentions in neighboring towns were accompanied by additional activity in Keene, N.H, where GSOP reported two arrests. Keene mayor Jay Kahn wrote that “action in Keene heighten[ing] concerns about safety of people in our community” in a public statement made on Aug. 11. His statement did not explicitly acknowledge the two arrests.
“I understand the anxiety and fear that people in our community could be targeted solely on the basis of the color of their skin or their speech accents,” Kahn said. “This is abhorrent, but we have observed incidents doing just that in other cities. I have been in touch with our federal delegation and will keep them informed of ICE activities in our city.”
Kahn subsequently organized a special city council meeting on Aug. 17 to hear from residents about concerns surrounding ICE in the city.
GSOP’s count reflects only detentions known to the organization, meaning the total number of people detained by ICE in the region could be higher.
“We don’t know of all the detentions happening, which is the problem,” the organization’s representative said.
Kahn did not respond to a request for comment.
Max Hubbard '29 is a reporter from Boston, Mass., and is majoring in government and minoring in French. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, running and watching movies.
