Border czar Tom Homan, who had promised to “bring hell” to Boston, said he made the visit to the city last Tuesday. This comes after months of contentious flame-throwing between him and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who sat before Congress to defend her city’s support of immigrants.
Homan said officers detained 370 immigrants in Boston and the surrounding area during a six-day operation. He said the effort was led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and also included the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Marshals Service; Diplomatic Security Service; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
“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. ICE had to find and arrest these illegal alien rapists because Massachusetts and Boston are sanctuaries that refuse to cooperate with ICE,” he wrote on X , formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. “These officers and agents made the neighborhoods of Boston and Massachusetts much safer.”
Law enforcement officials seized methamphetamines, fentanyl, cocaine and three firearms during the operation.
“Everyone should agree that we cannot and will not tolerate individuals who not only violate our immigration laws but then commit crimes that endanger our communities. Those who enter and remain in this country unlawfully are breaking the law,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley.
ICE claims 205 of those arrested had significant criminal convictions or charges. Six were foreign fugitives currently facing charges or convictions for murder, drug trafficking, organized crime, and money laundering.
“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,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Jodi Cohen.
Homan said the Massachusetts arrests included individuals linked to the notorious MS-13, Tren de Aragua, Trinitarios and 18th Street gangs.
Last week, the federal government put 238 immigrants on a flight to El Salvador, claiming they were from the Tren de Aragua gang. Attorneys and relatives have argued some of those people were targeted because of tattoos that aren’t related to gangs. It is unclear if any of those immigrants flown to El Salvador were arrested in Boston, and ICE has not responded to GBH News’ request for comment.
It is unclear what charges the additional 165 immigrants are facing. A number of undocumented immigrants without criminal records have been detained in Massachusetts, running counter to ICE’s “worst first” effort.
GBH News was on the scene talking to community members about what they’d seen in the ICE arrests in Chelsea last week , including three painters whose boss said are undocumented.
La Colaborativa, a social services organization, closed its doors temporarily that day to avoid arrests of visitors during its programming.
The Trump administration has routinely pointed to Boston as a source of detainers not being honored, and people with criminal convictions and charges being released into the community.
However, the ICE Boston field office covers the entirety of New England, not just Boston proper. In the congressional hearing, arrests in Great Barrington, Lowell and Framingham were referred to as “Boston.”
ICE did not share locations of most of the arrests from the March operation. ICE listed 14 detained individuals who had significant criminal charges and convictions against them, two were from Boston, and the rest were from other parts of the state, including Worcester and New Bedford. The others with criminal charges didn’t have names or locations listed.
Still, the announcement from Homan was tailored to address Boston Mayor Wu, with the city mentioned six times, and no other city mentioned.
In his post on X Monday, Homan said there is “much more to do, but it will be done!” He added that Wu and Gov. Maura Healey should be “ashamed of supporting sanctuary policies.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the city reiterated Wu’s claim that Boston is the safest major city in the country and that “we partner with all levels of law enforcement to prevent crime and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“Given that we have no information on these arrests,” the spokesperson said, “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.”
