Trump Administration Launched Immigration Enforcement Surge in Massachusetts
Trump Administration Launched Immigration Enforcement Surge in Massachusetts
In a significant move during his presidency, the Trump administration initiated a new federal immigration enforcement effort in Massachusetts, specifically targeting individuals deemed criminal illegal aliens, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This operation, dubbed ‘Patriot 2.0,’ aimed to deport those who had entered the country illegally and committed crimes, building on the earlier ‘Operation Patriot’ success.
A DHS spokesperson, speaking to CNN on a Sunday during the operation, stated that ‘Patriot 2.0’ was designed to apprehend the ‘worst of the worst’ criminal illegal aliens in Massachusetts. The administration explicitly criticized Boston Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu, attributing the need for such an operation to the city’s ‘sanctuary city’ policies. These policies, the DHS statement asserted, not only attracted and harbored criminals but also prioritized these public safety threats over the interests of law-abiding American citizens. The department vowed to pursue and arrest criminals reportedly released by local authorities.
The statement from the Trump administration underscored a firm stance: ‘Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.’
Mayor Wu, in a contemporaneous statement to CNN, affirmed that Boston would not allocate local resources to the federal operation, stating that such actions do not enhance community safety. ‘No Boston police or local resources will be co-opted into federal immigration enforcement and their mass deportation agenda,’ Wu declared. ‘That does not make our community safer. We expect that federal law enforcement will abide by the constitution and laws of this City, Commonwealth, and country, and we are prepared to take legal action at any evidence to the contrary.’
The Justice Department had previously sued Mayor Wu over Boston’s sanctuary policy, which restricts local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration efforts. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, in a Sunday MSNBC interview during that period, characterized the actions from ICE and the administration as ‘political theater’ and an ‘attempt to intimidate,’ rather than genuine public safety measures.
White House officials, at the time, indicated that the Boston operation, alongside similar plans in Chicago, signaled an escalated strategy to target sanctuary cities. Both operations were modeled after an earlier enforcement action in Los Angeles, where 5,000 arrests were made since June of that year. The president had also reserved the option to deploy the National Guard in Boston and Chicago if deemed necessary for peacekeeping.
The ramp-up in deportations within Democratic-led cities followed earlier aggressive enforcement actions in Los Angeles, reflecting the administration’s broader immigration agenda.
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