Nashua Democrat Opposes Deportations, Calls ICE ‘Punitive’ in Challenge to Goodlander

CONCORD, NH — A Democratic primary challenge is emerging in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, where State Rep. Paige Bocheman of Nashua is taking aim at U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander from the party’s far left — blasting immigration enforcement, rejecting deportations, and calling for a “working-class movement” against what she describes as “the ultra-wealthy.”

During an appearance on WMUR’s Close Up, Bocheman, a nurse and first-term lawmaker, sharply criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and said she personally responds to reports of immigration enforcement activity in Nashua. “We know that citizens are being disappeared from the street,” Bocheman said, describing how she records ICE agents during detentions and contacts families of those arrested.

She accused Goodlander of siding with federal immigration authorities, noting that the congresswoman “voted for the Lake and Riley bill” and “signed a letter congratulating ICE.” Bocheman said she instead works with local groups “supporting families impacted by ICE.”

When pressed on whether illegal immigrants convicted of crimes should be deported, Bocheman declined to support deportation in any circumstance. “I’m not going to say that’s what should happen,” she said. “Deportation is probably the lowest on my list. I want people to have health care. I want people to have housing. It doesn’t matter if they’re safe from crime if they’re living on the streets and they don’t have food to eat.”

Bocheman also criticized what she called America’s “punitive” approach to crime and said she would prioritize rehabilitation over removal. “Oftentimes rehabilitation is less expensive than deporting somebody,” she said.

Her campaign message centered on economic class conflict, arguing that “it’s not left and right, it’s working-class people against the ultra-wealthy.” She claimed “the folks at the top” in both parties use “immigration and other culture wars” to divide voters, saying her campaign aims to “refocus on affordability, housing, and health care.”

Bocheman’s entry highlights a widening ideological rift among Democrats in New Hampshire, with her rhetoric appealing to activist and progressive circles but diverging sharply from mainstream Democrats who have backed border enforcement and moderate fiscal policies.

A nurse specializing in maternal health, Bocheman won a Nashua special election in 2023 and has since positioned herself as a voice for “working people” over what she calls “a millionaires’ Congress.”