BOSTON — Todd Lyons, a native of South Boston and a graduate of Boston College High School in Dorchester is the new Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In his first sit-down television interview since being appointed to the position in March by the Trump administration, Lyons spoke with Boston 25 News investigative reporter Ted Daniel to discuss the agency’s direction and his personal connection to the region.
Lyons, who in a previous role served as the Director of ICE’s Boston Field Office under President Biden, acknowledged the political firestorm surrounding the agency. However, he emphasized his focus remains squarely on upholding U.S. immigration law, and not the raging debate surrounding it.
During the interview, he reflected on his career trajectory within ICE, which began in 2007 at the ground level. “I’ve had the opportunity to do pretty much every job within ICE,” Lyons stated, adding that being tapped for the director role felt “almost surreal” and a “dream come true.”
Daniel first met Lyons in 2023 at an ICE field office in Burlington, when Lyons said the agency’s primary focus was on apprehending individuals described as “the worst of the worst” – those wanted in their home countries for serious crimes such as fentanyl trafficking, rape, and murder.
While Lyons affirmed that removing violent offenders remains a top priority, he noted a significant shift under the Trump administration. ICE now has the authority to target any individual in the U.S. who is in the country unlawfully including students whose visas are revoked by the U.S Department of State. Lyons cited an estimated 12 million migrants are unaccounted for nationwide, identifying Massachusetts as a particular hot spot. He said many people are drawn to the state by available public benefits.
Under the Healy administration, Massachusetts has reportedly spent more than $700 million this year providing shelter to migrants and other unhoused individuals.
Addressing concerns about enforcement tactics, Lyons dismissed as “falsehoods” the notion of ICE agents conducting raids in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and churches. However, he clarified that if a criminal is hiding in a hospital, ICE would enter to make an arrest. He contrasted this with the previous administration’s policies, which he claimed required a lengthy chain of command approval for such actions.
Recent ICE arrests in Massachusetts have garnered significant attention, including the detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts PhD student from Turkey, over her alleged ties to Hamas and the apprehension of Juan Carlos Baez, a Dominican man, with a prior drug conviction, captured outside a Boston courthouse where he was on trial for allegedly obtaining a false identity from the RMV.
A controversial incident in New Bedford, where an ICE agent shattered a car window, was also discussed. Lyons defended the officers’ actions in that instance, citing officer safety concerns. “I don’t want my officers standing there, that person could have a gun, that person could be calling someone else to come and attack officers,” he explained.
“ICE is out enforcing federal law. And if you don’t comply... You’re going to get arrested. You might get tased, you might get handcuffed. If you run, you may get chased. It’s just like a regular law enforcement operation,” Lyons said.
Looking ahead, Lyons indicated that Massachusetts would be a focus for future ICE operations due to the high number of people that he said are here unlawfully. He stated that he is fully aware that some people will disagree with ICE’s mission. “But I think on the whole, when people see the criminal aliens that we arrest, you can’t argue why we want to remove that sex offender, why we want to take that human trafficker out,” Lyons asserted.
While President Trump had previously promised to immediately deport millions of immigrants, that has not materialized in his first 100 days back in office. Lyons stated that ICE will continue to prioritize criminal aliens but emphasized that if agents encounter individuals without legal status, they can and will be removed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
