ICE raids in Massachusetts and San Diego. What we know so far
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and several federal law enforcement agencies apprehended nearly 1,600 undocumented immigrants during a sweeping operation across Massachusetts and San Diego throughout May.
(Image for representation) Operation Patriot led by ICE apprehended around 1,500 undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts, focusing on those with ties to violent gangs and criminal records. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo(REUTERS)
The monthlong operation, named Operation Patriot, focused on arresting individuals with ties to transnational crime, violent gangs, and those with serious criminal records in the U.S. or abroad.
The initiative was led by ICE’s Boston office in collaboration with federal partners, including the FBI, CBP, ATF, the Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
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“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a safer place today thanks to the hard work and determination of the men and women of ICE and our federal partners,” said Patricia H. Hyde, acting Field Office Director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston, per the ICE website.
“Make no mistake: Every person that we arrested was breaking our immigration laws, but most of these individuals had significant criminality.”
ICE crackdown in Massachusetts, over 1,400 arrested. San Diego details still emerging
ICE detailed that over 790 of the 1,461 arrested in Massachusetts had criminal charges or convictions. They confirmed details about operations in San Diego are still under wraps.
The list of offenses includes murder, rape, drug trafficking, child sexual abuse, and affiliation with violent gangs like MS-13, Tren de Aragua, Trinitarios, and 18th Street. ICE stated that several individuals were also subjects of foreign arrest warrants or Interpol Red Notices.
“Among those arrested include truly alarming criminals: murderers wanted in their home countries, child predators, and drug traffickers,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations New England. “Public safety and national security remain our number one priority.”
One of the more shocking arrests included a 55-year-old Salvadoran national with an Interpol Red Notice for aggravated homicide and kidnapping. Others included a Guatemalan national convicted of murder, a Brazilian national wanted for child rape, and a Colombian man convicted in his home country for drug trafficking.
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FBI Boston’s Kimberly Milka stressed, “Together, with our partners, we have identified and removed hundreds of illegal alien offenders from the Commonwealth… and our work is not done.”
ICE also confirmed that 277 of the individuals had previously been ordered removed by immigration judges but failed to comply, remaining unlawfully in the U.S.
