Brookline's Select Board voted Tuesday, Aug. 25, to ask private parking operators to refuse any lease request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The board sent a letter to garage and lot owners after ICE issued a July 21 notice seeking 249 "surge parking" spaces in the Boston metropolitan area. The federal agency's solicitation covers 14 cities. Town Administrator Charles Carey said Boston issued a similar letter and asked Brookline to join the effort, according to Brookline.News.

All five board members signed the letter: Chair David Pearlman, Vice-Chair Michael Rubenstein, Bernard Greene, Amanda Zimmerman and Anthony Buono.

The board acknowledged that Brookline's existing ban on using public parking facilities for immigration enforcement does not cover private operators. Private owners have no legal obligation to respond to ICE or rent spaces, the letter stated, but it asked them to voluntarily refuse.

The board argued that ICE's presence would provoke protests and depress regular parking activity. It called the agency's offer a losing proposition regardless of the money involved.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took a similar step, sending her own letter to private operators and filing a Freedom of Information Act request to identify which property owners responded to ICE's solicitation, Axios reported.

Brookline first restricted ICE access to public property by Select Board proclamation in February. Town Meeting codified that ban into local law in May by approving Warrant Article 17.

Building Department splits leadership after Bennett retires

Separately, the Select Board appointed two interim leaders to run the Building Department after Commissioner Dan Bennett retired.

Deputy Building Commissioner Paul Campbell will serve as interim building commissioner. Public Buildings Director Charlie Simmons takes a newly created role: interim commissioner of public buildings.

Carey recommended both appointments as part of a broader rethinking of how the department is organized, according to Brookline.News. The department oversees construction, renovation, zoning, historic preservation, plumbing, gas fitting, electrical work, fire safety and demolition across town.

A search for a permanent replacement is underway. No timeline for the hire or the reorganization has been announced.