Massachusetts leaders criticize second widespread ICE crackdown in state

BOSTON — City and state leaders in Massachusetts are criticizing the second widespread ICE crackdown currently underway in the state.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the expanded enforcement, called “Patriot 2.0,” aims to get dangerous undocumented criminals off the streets.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not yet publicly released information about the arrests made so far.

Governor Maura Healey believes the enforcement campaign is negatively impacting hardworking people in Massachusetts.

“What we’ve seen far too often and in such great numbers here and across the country is construction workers and nannies and health care aides and agricultural workers who are being taken out of our communities, taken away from their families,” said Governor Healey.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has previously said that Boston’s policies have allowed dangerous offenders to remain in local communities rather than face deportation.

“Increased ICE activity in all of our communities is yet another example, a clear example, of the capricious vengeance and cruel administration co-opting federal law enforcement agents and defying our constitution to score political points,” said Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka.

Data released by ICE during the previous widespread crackdown in Massachusetts back in May, known as “Operation Patriot,” showed nearly half of the people taken into custody had no criminal record.

“More than half the 1,461 arrested had significant criminal convictions or charges. Seven-hundred and ninety of the alien offenders were charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States or abroad,” said a previous statement from ICE.

It’s not clear how many federal agents are taking part in Patriot 2.0 or how many communities in the Greater Boston area are being impacted.

“They are responding to find these criminal aliens that have been released due to sanctuary policies,” said Lyons. “We’re not attacking citizens. We’re not attacking the innocent. We’re arresting criminal aliens that should not be in this country.”

Boston’s Trust Act prohibits Boston Police from working with ICE on civil immigration detainers.

A state Supreme Judicial Court ruling also bars law enforcement in Massachusetts from detaining people based solely on a request from federal immigration authorities.

“As ordered in the Boston Trust Act, no Boston police or local resources will be co-opted into federal immigration enforcement and their mass deportation agenda,” said a statement from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “For months, ICE has refused to provide any information about their activities in Boston and refuses to issue warrants, while we hear reports of ICE agents taking parents as they are dropping their kids off at school. That does not make our community safer.”

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