U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made an unknown number of arrests in Nantucket, Massachusetts, this week for “immigration violations,” specifically targeting “violent offenders,” according to a press release from local officials Thursday.
The Nantucket Police Department revealed that ICE agents had contacted local Nantucket officials on Sept. 9 “concerning their planned arrival on island,” according to the press release. Local officials stated that ICE agents’ purpose was to “serve administrative arrest warrants for immigration violations,” adding that the local detective unit assisted by providing “requested addresses.”
“Their purpose on island was to serve administrative arrest warrants for immigration violations. The arrest warrants were specifically for ‘violent offenders.’ The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, not unlike many local, state or federal agencies, requested our assistance with local knowledge of geographical areas of our town,” the press statement reads.
“The Nantucket Police Department, specifically the Detective Unit did assist with identifying requested addresses provided to them by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency,” the press statement continued.
Information about the arrests reportedly spread throughout the Nantucket community this week and “caused panic for many,” local resident Esmeralda Martinez told the Nantucket Current.
“It’s frightening for so many,” Martinez told the outlet. “People are hiding in fear that they might be here for them even though most don’t have a criminal record, but for the mere fact that they are not legally here. It has caused panic for many.”
In June, Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey had deployed five state officials to border communities within Texas in order to warn illegal immigrants not to flee to her state as the migrant shelters had been filled. Despite the state and local policies qualifying Massachusetts as a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, the move came after Healey had capped the emergency shelter system last year at 7,500 families with resources becoming strained.
“ERO Boston can confirm that we have been conducting targeted enforcement actions in coordination with Nantucket Police in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The actions, which targeted several egregious noncitizen offenders, have been going on for the last few days and wrapped up this morning,” Covington stated. “As many aspects of the analysis remain ongoing, ERO will not comment further at this time. ERO Boston will release further details in the coming days.”
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