U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched an operation in Massachusetts to target criminal illegal immigrants, part of a nationwide enforcement push under President Donald Trump.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the effort, dubbed Operation Patriot 2.0, follows a similar sweep in May that resulted in 1,500 arrests, NBC Boston reported.
In the statement, the unnamed DHS spokesperson called the initial operation a success and criticized Boston’s sanctuary policy under Mayor Michelle Wu, saying it puts criminals ahead of U.S. citizens.
“Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens. ICE is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities,” the statement said.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in August that some Boston police officers have quietly shared information with immigration officials to help arrest criminal illegal immigrants, despite Mayor Michelle Wu’s policies, Breitbart News reported.
“We have so many men and women on the Boston Police Department and other jurisdictions that are so pro-ICE, that want to work with us and that are actually helping us behind the scenes,” Lyons said. ICE arrested some 30,000 illegal aliens in June.
ICE is set to receive a major funding increase after Congress approved the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which provides $45 billion for expanded detention capacity and nearly $30 billion to hire additional deportation agents, NBC Boston noted further.
The Trump administration also points to a crackdown on child smuggling as another success, with ICE officers disrupting cross-border operations by arresting U.S.-based illegal immigrants who financed the schemes.
