Immigration and Customs Enforcement led a monumental sweep, capturing nearly 1,500 illegal aliens in Massachusetts to clamp down on the sanctuary state’s illegal immigration crisis.
A month-long “enhanced” enforcement operation, dubbed “Operation Patriot,” involved numerous law enforcement agencies, including ICE Boston, the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, the ATF, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
‘We’re doing the job that ICE should have been doing all along, and then we enforce all immigration laws.’
The joint effort resulted in the apprehension of 1,461 illegal aliens, more than half of whom had “significant criminal convictions or charges.”
Federal law enforcement officials targeted individuals tied to transnational crime, gangs, and other illegal activities.
“Seven-hundred and ninety of the alien offenders were charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States or abroad,” an ICE press release read.
Michael Krol, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New England, stated, “Among those arrested include truly alarming criminals: murderers wanted in their home countries, child predators, and drug traffickers.”
“Numerous targets” had foreign arrest warrants, ICE reported.
Federal immigration attorneys nabbed a 55-year-old Salvadoran national with an Interpol Red Notice for aggravated homicide, robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and theft in his home country.
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Image Source: ICE
ICE arrested a 32-year-old Guatemalan national and registered sex offender with pending charges in Boston, including five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over and trafficking a person for sexual servitude. The agency noted that the man was also arrested in Massachusetts for aggravated rape of a child with a 10-year age gap and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over.
Image Source: ICE
A 37-year-old Honduran national was also among those arrested. He was previously detained for several violent charges, including rape, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, witness intimidation, kidnapping of a minor by a relative, lewd and lascivious conduct, and sexual conduct.
RELATED: Huge ICE sweep busts 100+ illegal aliens at Florida worksites
Image Source: ICE
During a Monday press conference announcing the results of the operation, media outlets pushed back on ICE’s arrest of Marcelo Gomes, an 18-year-old high school student unlawfully in the country.
The agency explained that Gomes was not the target of the arrest.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told reporters, “We were looking for his father. So obviously, he’s the father of the year because he brought his son up here illegally as well.”
He explained that Gomes was driving his father’s vehicle when he was pulled over and taken into custody.
“Like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant, or, like I said, is here illegally, we will take action on that,” Lyons continued. “We’re doing the job that ICE should have been doing all along, and then we enforce all immigration laws.”
A reporter asked Lyons, “What is dangerous about a high school junior?”
Lyons responded, “I didn’t say he was dangerous. I said he’s in this country illegally, and we’re not going to walk away from anybody.”
The massive operation follows border czar Tom Homan’s pledge that ICE would target sanctuary jurisdictions shielding illegal aliens from federal immigration enforcement.
On Saturday, Homan told reporters, “We’re doing immigration actions all throughout the country.”
“You’re going to see more teams on the streets,” he continued. “You got sanctuary cities, I said, we’re going to flood the zone if we can’t arrest a bad guy in the jail.”
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