Federal agents arrested more than 1,400 illegal aliens during a weeks-long immigration enforcement operation across Massachusetts targeting transnational organized crime, violent offenders, and gang members, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said (scroll for photos).
The enforcement surge, dubbed Operation Patriot 2.0, took place from Sept. 4 through Sept. 30, and involved officers from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England, along with partners from the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, ICE said.
“Patriot 2.0 exposed the grave consequences of sanctuary policies and the urgent need for local leaders to prioritize their constituents’ safety over politics,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “Every illegal alien we arrested during the operation was breaking U.S. immigration law, and hundreds were violent criminals who should never have been allowed to roam freely in our communities.”
ICE photo
ICE said more than 600 of those arrested had serious criminal convictions or pending charges in the United States, while others were known foreign fugitives or gang members tied to MS-13, Tren de Aragua, Trinitarios, and 18th Street gangs…