Thomas M. Hodgson
Thomas M. Hodgson is an American law enforcement agent and politician who has served as Sheriff of Bristol County Massachusetts since 1997.
Thomas M. Hodgson | |
---|---|
Hodgson in 2019 | |
Sheriff of Bristol County | |
Assumed office June 2, 1997 | |
Appointed by | William Weld |
Preceded by | David R. Nelson[1] |
Personal details | |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Early life
Hodgson worked in law enforcement in Maryland before coming to Massachusetts.[2]
City Council
Hodgson was elected to the New Bedford City Council in 1991. He later resigned to become Sheriff; at the time of his resignation, he was the council's only Republican.[2]
Sheriff
Hodgson was appointed Sheriff of Bristol County by then-Governor William F. Weld on May 21st, 1997.[3] In the most recent election he ran unopposed.[4]
2017 discussion on illegal immigration and sanctuary cities
Hodgson first made waves by offering to send Bristol County inmates to help build President Donald J. Trump's proposed border wall.[5] He was later invited to speak to the House of Representatives on issues relating to sanctuary cities, stating that elected officials in such jurisdictions should be placed under arrest.[6] [7]
2020 violent incident at the Bristol County House of Correction
On May 1, 2020, three Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees were hospitalized amidst a violent incident with correctional officers during testing for COVID-19.[8] Hodgson was on site during the incident and the Bristol County Sheriff's departments reported more than $25,000 to the facility.[9]
The next day, Joe Kennedy III called on an independent investigation of the violence.[10] Following Kennedy's statement, Sentators Warren and Markey and Representatives Keating and Kennedy signed a joint letter calling for an investigation, stating: "We are alarmed by reports of the events of Friday, May 1, in Unit B of the Bristol County House of Correction’s C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center. There are conflicting accounts about what occurred, and we believe that there must be a full, independent investigation by an external entity."[11]
The ACLU of Massachusetts is suing the Bristol county Sheriff's Office after they received a denial of accessing records related to the May 1 incident.[12]
Trump Re-Election Campaign
In November 2019, President Trump appointed Hodgson as Honorary Chair of Trump's 2020 Massachusetts re-election campaign.[13] The announcement was made by MassGOP National Committeeman Ron Kaufman[14] at a state committee meeting.
See also
References
- https://www.newspapers.com/image/441971676/
- "Sheriff Hodgson to quit City Council seat". SouthCoast Today. March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- "Hodgson, Thomas M." Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- "Massachusetts Bristol Sheriff Results: Thomas Hodgson Wins". The New York Times. February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- "Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson offers inmates to build Donald Trump's wall". Boston Herald. January 5, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- "Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson says elected leaders of 'sanctuary cities' should be arrested". Masslive. March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- "Hodgson to speak before U.S. House subcommittee Tuesday on illegal immigration, sanctuary cities". SouthCoast Today. March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- "ICE Detainees Hospitalized, Sheriff Reports 'Extensive Damage' After Coronavirus-Based Incident in Bristol County Jail". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- "$25K in damage after COVID-19 disturbance at Mass. ICE facility, sheriff says". WCVB. 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- "Calls For An Investigation Mount After ICE Detention Center Incident". CBS Boston. 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- "Warren, Markey, Keating, and Kennedy Call for an Independent Investigation of the May 1st Events at the Bristol County House of Correction | U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts". www.warren.senate.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- "ACLU Sues Bristol Sheriff For Access To Incident Recordings". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
- Service, Matt Murphy Massachusetts State House News. "Trump Campaign taps Mass. Sheriff Tom Hodgson as honorary chair". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- "State Committee". Massachusetts GOP. Retrieved 2020-01-23.