--- title: "Judge orders Plymouth County Sheriff to release ICE detainee health records to ACLU" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/judge-orders-plymouth-county-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-health-records-to-a" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/judge-orders-plymouth-county-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-health-records-to-a" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/judge-orders-plymouth-county-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-health-records-to-a.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/judge-orders-plymouth-county-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-health-records-to-a" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-14T11:25:28.355Z" source_reported: "2026-08-14T00:50:00.000Z" updated: "2026-08-14T11:25:28.355Z" trust_score: 66 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-14T13:30:23.508870+00:00" --- # Judge orders Plymouth County Sheriff to release ICE detainee health records to ACLU *Massachusetts court rejects sheriff’s argument that federal law preempts state public records request* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 66 of 100, higher is better. Trust 66 because the full report names multiple officials and cites the court order, but only one independent source. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95; article explains relevance, quotes parties, separates facts, provides dates and next steps clearly. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15; language is factual with no sensational adjectives or clickbait framing. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Judge James Budreau ordered the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office to release anonymized health records of immigrant detainees held under contract with ICE. - The sheriff’s office argued federal law preempted state public records law, but the judge ruled the state retains oversight of health and safety records. - The ACLU sued after the sheriff’s office denied a public records request in December 2025, citing transparency and detainee rights. - The judgment will be finalised within 30 days unless either party requests a hearing. A Massachusetts court ordered the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office to release anonymized health records of immigrant detainees to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Judge James Budreau issued the ruling on 28 August 2026, following a legal dispute over whether state public records law applied to documents created under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ACLU sued in 2025 after the sheriff’s office denied a public records request for the records. The sheriff’s office argued that federal law preempted state transparency rules, as the records were generated under an ICE contract. Budreau rejected that argument, writing that the state retains authority over records related to health and safety in its facilities. Plymouth County Correctional Facility is the only long-term immigrant detention facility in Massachusetts. It holds up to 250 detainees under a contract with ICE, which pays the sheriff’s office $215 per day per occupied bed. The ACLU’s original request, filed on 11 December 2025, sought records to assess medical care provided to detainees. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned the $215 per day per bed that ICE pays the sheriff’s office. None of the centre-rated digests carried the sheriff’s preemption argument or the judge’s reasoning against it. The two full reports, from Washington Top News and the Associated Press, were the only ones to include the ACLU’s citation of detainee deaths in ICE custody. ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 54% (7) - Centre: 31% (4) - Right: 15% (2) 1 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-14T13:30:23.508870+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-14T13:45:16.777Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated digests led on the ACLU’s victory and the judge’s rejection of the sheriff’s preemption argument. The Associated Press and Washington Top News, whose full reports were printed, quoted ACLU attorney Dan McFadden calling the ruling "important for government transparency and the rights of immigrant detainees." Both reports included the sheriff’s office’s statement that it would comply with the order. - The full reports carried the judge’s reasoning in detail, including his statement that the state’s public records law was not an attempt to regulate immigration. They also quoted the sheriff’s attorney, Jessica Kenny, acknowledging that redaction of identifying information would resolve privacy concerns. The Associated Press and Washington Top News both noted the ACLU’s citation of 57 deaths in ICE custody since 2025, including that of Emmanuel Damas, who died from an untreated tooth infection. ### Centre - The centre-rated digests led on the court order itself, stating that the sheriff’s office must release the records. None of the five digests mentioned the sheriff’s preemption argument or the judge’s reasoning. The Washington Top News full report, which was also centre-rated, carried the same details as the left-rated full reports, including the ACLU’s transparency framing and the sheriff’s compliance statement. ### Right - The two right-rated digests led on the court order but did not mention the sheriff’s preemption argument or the judge’s reasoning. Neither digest included the ACLU’s framing of the case as a transparency issue. Both stated that the ruling followed a legal battle between the sheriff’s office and the ACLU, but neither named the judge or the date of the original records request. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 12 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [WBUR](https://wbur.org/news/2026/08/14/plymouth-county-ice-detainee-health-records-aclu) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/trump-ice-2677704497) — Judge slaps ICE with stinging bill after detainee hauled across state lines in chains - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/national/2026/08/13/plymouth-county-sheriff-ice-detainee-records-aclu/fc0531c6-975d-11f1-9ef9-1be722184483_story.html) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee ... - [WHDH](https://whdh.com/news/judge-orders-massachusetts-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - Boston News, Weather, Sports - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/national/2026/08/judge-orders-massachusetts-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/judge-orders-massachusetts-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu/article_34b2550d-8171-5ba9-88bd-ed7486565f9d.html) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/united-states/judge-orders-massachusetts-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu/article_055284c6-6c9a-5b76-99c6-c3f3eab79b86.html) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [Newsday](https://newsday.com/news/nation/plymouth-county-sheriff-ice-detainee-records-aclu-i99531) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/aclu-massachusetts-congress-commonwealth-boston-b3032851.html) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/plymouth-county-sheriff-ice-detainee-records-aclu-0b43110ec412148f658ed1cad853b8fa) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [Madison Courier](https://madisoncourier.com/ap/news/judge-orders-massachusetts-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu/article_1f6e7467-b966-5645-9cdc-a9e4002112ab.html) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [plaindealerin.com](https://plaindealerin.com/news/wire/judge-orders-massachusetts-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu/article_712bbc98-24c3-5404-9606-1f5a75afcf92.html) — Judge orders Massachusetts sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU - [plymouthindependent.org](https://plymouthindependent.org/judge-orders-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-records) — Judge orders Sheriff to release ICE detainee records - Plymouth Independent - [The New Bedford Light](https://newbedfordlight.org/judge-orders-plymouth-co-sheriff-to-hand-ice-detainee-records-to-aclu) — Judge orders Plymouth Co. sheriff to hand ICE detainee records to ACLU ## Questions **Why did the ACLU sue the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office?** The ACLU sued after the sheriff’s office denied a public records request for anonymized health records of immigrant detainees. The ACLU argued the records were subject to state transparency laws and sought them to assess medical care in the facility, which holds detainees under contract with ICE. **What was the sheriff’s argument for withholding the records?** The sheriff’s office argued that federal law preempted Massachusetts’ public records law, as the records were created under a contract with ICE. The judge rejected this, ruling that the state retains authority over health and safety records in its facilities. **How much does ICE pay the sheriff’s office per detainee?** ICE pays the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office $215 per day per occupied bed for detainees held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility. The facility sets aside 250 beds for immigrant detainees under its contract with ICE. **What happens next in the case?** The judgment will be finalised within 30 days unless either the sheriff’s office or the ACLU requests a hearing. The sheriff’s office has stated it will comply with the order to release the anonymized records. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/judge-orders-plymouth-county-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-health-records-to-a. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Judge orders Plymouth County Sheriff to release ICE detainee health records to ACLU", https://mediabias.news/politics/judge-orders-plymouth-county-sheriff-to-release-ice-detainee-health-records-to-a