Operation Patriot: ICE Arrests Nearly 1,500 Illegal Migrants in Record-Breaking Massachusetts Sweep
In the largest immigration enforcement action in U.S. history, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concluded Operation Patriot, arresting 1,461 illegal migrants across Massachusetts — many of whom had criminal convictions, pending charges, or outstanding deportation orders.
The month-long operation, which concluded Saturday, was focused heavily on the Greater Boston area and other so-called sanctuary jurisdictions throughout the deep-blue state. According to ICE sources, 790 of those arrested had either criminal convictions or pending charges, while 277 had final removal or deportation orders.
“This is about public safety,” said acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in a press conference Monday. “We are targeting individuals who pose a threat — rapists, murderers, child predators, drug traffickers. These are not isolated cases.”
ICE confirmed the operation was launched in direct response to Massachusetts leaders’ refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Lyons said state and city officials repeatedly ignored ICE detainer requests, releasing dangerous individuals back into communities.
“If sanctuary cities would change their policies and turn these violent criminal aliens over to us instead of releasing them, we wouldn’t have to go into neighborhoods to make these arrests,” he said. “But because they won’t, we will.”
Operation Patriot was more complex than previous ICE actions due to zero cooperation from local jurisdictions — a stark contrast to Operation Tidal Wave in Florida, which netted 1,120 arrests with state assistance. Massachusetts authorities, by contrast, provided no local support, despite the significant number of fugitives ICE was targeting.
Fox News reporters embedded with ICE in Boston on Thursday witnessed arrests of high-risk individuals, including:
- A convicted murderer
- Two child rapists (one living near a playground)
- A fentanyl trafficker
- An adult rapist
- A child sexual assaulter
ICE teams were also joined by federal partners including the FBI, DEA, and ATF, with reinforcements from other Northeastern states.
Among those arrested was a Salvadoran national previously convicted of child rape who had been deported in 2017 but re-entered the U.S. illegally. ICE agents located him living beside a playground. Another arrest involved a man listed on El Salvador’s most wanted list, wanted by Interpol for aggravated murder, kidnapping, and robbery.
Critics argue that the administration’s refusal to collaborate with federal enforcement is undermining public safety.
ICE agents also reported ongoing interference from anti-ICE activist groups, which they say disrupted operations and increased safety risks for officers and the public.
Despite resistance, Lyons said the success of Operation Patriot sends a clear message:
“ICE is going to keep coming back. We will not allow sanctuary policies to stand in the way of protecting our communities.”
With input from Fox News
