After a man doing his laundry was detained by immigration agents in Somerville last month, the federal government confirmed they had made an arrest, but didn’t share his identity with local police.

Instead, city officials were left “piecing together information” to identify him, city spokesperson Denise Taylor said.

The arrest, which was publicized on social media by state Rep. Mike Connolly , was filmed by bystanders, including a local attorney. At the time, Connolly said the man “benefited from the fact that our community has both a lot of caring, welcoming people, and a lot of activists.”

“Sometimes family members immediately come to us, so we know who a detainee is right away,” Taylor said. “Other times it takes more effort and help from a range of directions after someone is de

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