{UAH} IF YOU ARE ILLEGAL IN MASSACHUSETTS GET THE FUCK OUT

ICE Descends on Boston in Major Sweep After Mayor Says She Won't Cooperate

Published Mar 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM EDTUpdated Mar 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM EDT

Over 370 illegal immigrants were arrested by federal agents in Massachusetts last week after Boston's Mayor said she would continue to enforce the area's sanctuary laws.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), those arrested included alleged members of Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and other transnational criminal gangs, as well as those with charges of child sexual abuse and murder.

The targeted, five-day operation came after Mayor Michelle Wu repeated that local law enforcement would not aid the federal government in its immigration enforcement efforts, which border czar Tom Homan has criticized.

"I made a promise at CPAC that I was going to Boston after reading about numerous illegal alien child rapists walking the streets of Boston and Massachusetts," Homan said on a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. "ICE had to find and arrest these illegal alien rapists because Massachusetts and Boston are sanctuaries that refuse to cooperate with ICE.

"They would rather release these animals back into the community rather than honor ICE detainers or notify ICE when they are scheduled to be released."

Why it Matters

While protecting those without legal status who have not committed any crimes from immigration enforcement overreach is one of the defining reasons for sanctuary policies, the Trump administration, and the Republican Party overall, take the view that sanctuary jurisdictions actively work against removing known immigrant criminals.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents arrested around 370 illegal immigrants in Boston and wider Massachusetts between March 18 and 23, 2025. ICE/ERO

What To Know

Among the 370 people arrested between March 18 and 23, 205 had "significant criminal convictions or charges", ICE said Monday, including suspected gang members and those wanted for crimes in other countries.

A Chilean citizen accused of four indecent assaults and battery on a child under 14, a Brazilian accused of murder in his home country, and a Russian man accused of unlawful possession of ammunition and wanted in his native country for armed robbery and membership in a criminal organization were listed as some of the immigrants detained in communities across the state.

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Some had detainers placed on them by ICE which had been ignored, the agency said.

As the operation was underway, Mayor Wu gave her third State of the City address on Wednesday, during which she repeated a vow to protect immigrants and vowed to not bow to the wishes of whoever was in charge in Washington, D.C.

The mayor made similar remarks when she testified to Congress earlier in the month, alongside sanctuary city mayors from New York City, Denver, and Chicago. At that hearing, Wu laid out how proud she was that Boston was a city of immigrants.

From ICE's perspective, Massachusetts' and Boston's sanctuary policies have been a problem for several years now, with known illegal immigrant criminals released before federal agents can get to them. It has then been months before agents have been able to catch up with them.

Advocates for sanctuary policies argue they keep immigrants safe by allowing them to seek assistance and report crimes without fear of deportation. An argument is also often made that local law enforcement will work with federal agents when it comes to alleged violent or serious offenders.

Homan said Monday that sanctuary policies in Boston and Massachusetts were making communities less safe, because of the disconnect between local and federal agencies.

What People Are Saying

A City of Boston spokesperson told Newsweek: "Boston is the safest major city in the country, and we partner with all levels of law enforcement to prevent crime and hold perpetrators accountable. Given that we have no information on these arrests, we cannot confirm how many took place within Boston police jurisdiction or in other cities, and we cannot confirm whether every individual was lawfully detained. We strongly urge ICE to release information on all the individuals detained in order to ensure transparency."

Homan in his post on X: "These officers and agents made the neighborhoods of Boston and Massachusetts much safer. They risked their own safety by arresting these criminals on the street, rather than a jail. Governor Healy and Mayor Wu should be ashamed of supporting sanctuary policies. Releasing public safety threats back into the public, rather than working with ICE at the jails, puts the public at great risk."

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde in a press release: "Throughout this enhanced enforcement operation, we targeted the most dangerous alien offenders in some of the most crime-infested neighborhoods in and around Boston."

Mayor Wu in her State of the City speech: "No one tells Boston how to take care of our own. Not kings, and not presidents who think they are kings... We are a city where the Irish coffee is strong and our opinions are stronger. We may not always agree or see eye to eye, but at the end of the day, we are a family. If you come for one of us, you will get all of us. We are a city that knows our strength is each other: And we will defend the people we love with all that we've got. When the weight of the world presses down, Boston stands up."

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Jodi Cohen in a press release: "Safeguarding the integrity of the immigration and citizenship process is critical. We simply can't permit violent and dangerous criminals to enter or remain in the United States under false pretenses, with unknown allegiances and intentions. It's a direct threat to public safety and our national security. There's no question our communities are safer today because of this enhanced, targeted operation. FBI Boston, like all our federal partners, will continue to support ICE with these efforts."

What's Next

Those arrested by ICE will likely be held while removal proceedings are underway, leading to potential deportation or extradition back to their home country.

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