A surge of immigration-related arrests is underway in Massachusetts as the Department of Homeland Security acts on its promise to target the “worst of the worst,” or immigrants with significant criminal records.
The operation dubbed “Patriot 2.0” launched last week, with DHS officials telling GBH News it is following the “success of Operation Patriot in May.” That resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests. The federal government said that more than half of those individuals had significant criminal convictions or charges, but didn’t provide a further breakdown of the numbers.
“Sanctuary policies like those pushed by [Boston Mayor Michelle Wu] not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens,” said a spokesperson for DHS. “[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities.”
Wu strongly disputed that claim in a statement.
“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,” Wu’s statement read. “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.”
Wu said the city expects federal law enforcement to follow all applicable law and threatened legal action “at any evidence to the contrary.”
DHS didn’t respond to repeated questions about how many people have been detained so far, and on what charges. The LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts confirmed that, since last week, it has received an increase in tips about ICE activity across the state.
“There’s definitely a noted uptake with regards to detentions,” said Tania Martinez, chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association New England Chapter.
Out of the seven calls she received Monday morning at her Lawrence-based law firm, Gomez & Martinez, only one was for a person with a criminal record. She said they’re assessing each case to see if the individuals can be released on bond. A major issue, she said is whether the new detainees are eligible to go the “habeas route” — filing a lawsuit related to constitutional claims which could potentially prevent them from being moved to a detention facility outside of New England.
“We don’t have enough beds for all the detainees. So, a lot of them are swiftly moved out of the Commonwealth,” Martinez said.
Carmen Viana said her 34-year-old daughter, Kely Espinosa was pulled over in Revere on Friday morning and detained by ICE. Her partner was present, along with her 10-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, who she was driving to school.
“My granddaughter called me crying and said these people grabbed mommy, and they’re taking her away,” Viana said.
She was told the arrest was violent, with no court order, and that Espinosa was injured while being pushed to the ground to be handcuffed. ICE hasn’t responded to a request for comment about the arrest.
Espinosa crossed the southern border three years ago to flee Colombia, Viana said, after her father, cousin and uncle were killed by gang members. She said her daughter remained undocumented because they couldn’t afford to pay for help to get legal status. Viana said Espinosa has no criminal record in the U.S. or in Colombia, and she now fears deportation.
“I spoke with her — she’s not doing well psychologically. She had a panic attack and they took her to the infirmary,” Viana said of her daughter, who is being held in New Hampshire.
She is looking for a lawyer and hoping her daughter can be released on bond. For now, Viana has taken in her grandchildren.
This latest operation comes as the Trump administration is suing Boston, claiming that the city’s sanctuary policies interferes with federal immigration enforcement. Boston’s Trust Act prevents city authorities from cooperating with federal immigration agents without a judicial warrant or absent serious criminal activity. City officials have long maintained that they cooperate with ICE on human, sex, and drug trafficking operations.
In a social media post, ICE touted the arrest of a man charged with multiple sex crimes, saying it was “cleaning up the mess left by the city’s sanctuary policies.” But the arrest took place in Revere, not Boston, the municipality its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, has repeatedly criticized in its statements.
“We condemn the racist and xenophobic attacks of this authoritarian administration, which continues to instill fear in our communities,” said Patricia Montes, executive director of the advocacy group Centro Presente, which helps families of detained individuals. “We also deplore the governor’s silence. Silence and inaction will not stop Donald Trump from threatening to withdraw federal funding and continue criminalizing immigrant communities.”
Gov. Maura Healey argued against the perception of Massachusetts as a sanctuary state on MSNBC on Sunday, calling the newest ICE effort “political theater.”
