Deportation officers nabbed nearly 400 illegal migrants across Massachusetts in the span of just several days, marking a major haul in a state that largely refuses to work with federal immigration authorities.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 370 illegal migrants in the Bay State during an “enhanced targeted enforcement operation” that spanned March 18-23, with 205 of them carrying “significant” criminal histories, according to the agency. The operation zeroed in on organized crime, gangs and other heinous illegal migrants living in Massachusetts, which has famously clashed with the Trump administration for its refusal to hand over individuals wanted by ICE.
“Throughout this enhanced enforcement operation, we targeted the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most crime-infested neighborhoods in and around Boston,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said in a statement.
“ICE and our federal law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the homeland through the eradication of transnational criminal organizations, dismantling dangerous criminal gangs preying on the American public, locating and arresting criminal alien offenders, and making our communities a safer place to live,” Hyde continued.
The six-day immigration raid targeted gangbangers in the Boston area and across the state, according to ICE. Among those arrested included members of Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street and the Trinitarios — ruthless gangs tied to activities such as rape and murder across the U.S. and the alleged takeover of an entire apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
Of the 205 individuals with significant criminal backgrounds, six currently face charges or convictions of murder, money laundering, drug trafficking and organized crime. The Massachusetts operation was conducted in coordination with the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies.
Those arrested included two Brazilian nationals wanted for murder and homicide, a previously removed Dominican national charged with fentanyl trafficking in Boston, a Honduran national previously removed and convicted of raping a child and failing to register as a sex offender.
“Everyone should agree that we cannot and will not tolerate individuals who not only violate our immigration laws but then commit crimes that endanger our communities,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley stated. “Those who enter and remain in this country unlawfully are breaking the law”
The Massachusetts raid follows a major ICE operation that ended earlier in March in Houston, Texas, where agents nabbed 646 illegal migrants — 543 of which were foreign nationals charged or convicted of a criminal offense and living unlawfully in the United States.
Immigration authorities arrested more than 20,000 illegal migrants in President Donald Trump’s first month in office, far surpassing the arrest rate of the Biden administration. An ICE spokesperson confirmed earlier in March that well over 30,000 immigration arrests have taken place so far under Trump, who has made border enforcement a top priority.
The entire state of Massachusetts is considered a sanctuary haven for illegal migrants, with the Center for Immigration Studies pointing to a July 2017 court decision largely prohibiting cooperation on ICE detainers as reason for the inclusion of the Bay State on their sanctuary map. Boston, infamously known as a sanctuary city, doubled down on their sanctuary laws in the wake of Trump’s re-election victory and Mayor Michelle Wu was called to testify before Congress over her city’s refusal to work with ICE agents.
A local news investigation uncovered numerous instances of Massachusetts courts setting incredibly low bail for non-citizens charged with raping children and released before ICE agents were able to arrive on scene to make an apprehension. A Daily Caller News Foundation investigation uncovered how Lucio Tomar, an illegal migrant from Cape Verde, was repeatedly caught masturbating publicly in the Boston area over the span of two decades and released back into the community until ICE agents nabbed him in 2024.
During a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, border czar Tom Homan — who is tasked with leading the Trump administration’s deportation efforts — ripped Boston’s police commissioner for standing by his city’s sanctuary policy.
“I’m coming to Boston and I’m bringing hell with me,” Homan said. “You’re not a police commissioner. Take that badge off your chest. Put it in the desk drawer.”
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