ICE’s Operation Patriot Nabs Nearly 1,500 Illegal Aliens in One Sanctuary State [WATCH]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed the completion of its largest immigration enforcement operation to date, with 1,461 illegal immigrants arrested in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area.

The operation, which ran throughout the month of May under the name “Operation Patriot,” targeted individuals with significant criminal backgrounds and those under final orders of removal.

According to ICE, 790 of those arrested had either criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, while 277 had previously received final deportation orders.

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The agency stated that the operation was carried out in response to Massachusetts’ and Boston’s sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a safer place today thanks to the hard work and determination of the men and women of ICE and our federal partners,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde.

“Working together, we were able to arrest almost 1,500 illegal aliens throughout the Commonwealth, most of whom had significant criminality in the United States or abroad.”

Hyde described the arrestees as “criminal offenders who victimized innocent people and traumatized entire communities,” adding that the list includes individuals convicted of murder, rape, drug trafficking, child sex crimes, and membership in violent transnational criminal gangs.

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“Some were convicted of violent crimes in the United States, and others were wanted for criminality in their native countries. All made the mistake of attempting to subvert justice by hiding out in Massachusetts,” she added.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, who was embedded with ICE during part of the operation, reported firsthand accounts from agents and witnessed several arrests, including those of an international murder suspect, two individuals charged with child rape, a fentanyl trafficker, an adult rape suspect, and a child sexual assault suspect — all within a matter of hours.

ICE sources told Fox News that hundreds of the individuals arrested during Operation Patriot had previously been released by Massachusetts sanctuary jurisdictions after ICE detainers were ignored.

BREAKING: Multiple ICE sources confirm to @FoxNews that ICE targeted Massachusetts & Boston in its biggest operation yet, netting the arrests of 1,461 illegal aliens in MA & the Greater Boston area. 790 had criminal convictions or charges, while 277 had final orders of…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 2, 2025

The agency noted that the lack of cooperation from local authorities forced them to conduct arrests in public settings, increasing the likelihood of “collateral arrests”—that is, arrests of other illegal immigrants encountered during the operations but not originally targeted.

“Sanctuary policies will lead to collateral arrests,” ICE stated.

“When jurisdictions do not honor ICE detainers and criminal aliens are released onto the streets, our agents are forced to make arrests in the community rather than conduct safe transfers from local jails.”

The operation marked a logistical challenge for ICE, particularly when compared to previous enforcement efforts like Operation Tidal Wave in Florida, which resulted in 1,120 arrests.

According to ICE, local law enforcement agencies in Florida provided cooperation, while in Massachusetts, agents encountered what they described as “daily interference” from anti-ICE activists.

🚨 ICE conducts largest immigration enforcement operation yet.

‘Operation Patriot’ resulted in ICE and federal partners arresting 1,461 illegals in Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area.

790 had criminal convictions or charges. pic.twitter.com/8QTKTLZGvV

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 2, 2025

During a surveillance operation, ICE agents were forced to abandon their efforts to arrest a murder suspect after a crowd of activists surrounded their vehicle, compromising their position.

ICE described similar incidents throughout the month as activists frequently disrupted arrest attempts and monitoring activities.

Fox News reported that ICE deployed 19 teams across Massachusetts as part of Operation Patriot and plans to release further details during a press conference scheduled in Boston.

Operation Patriot highlights the ongoing conflict between federal immigration enforcement and sanctuary jurisdictions.

ICE has repeatedly stated that without cooperation from local authorities, operations become more dangerous for both agents and the public.

Despite the challenges, ICE officials say the mission resulted in the successful apprehension of individuals they described as posing serious threats to public safety.

ICE Boston told us this happened in the sanctuary city of Somerville on Thursday. The murderer was close to a school. An activist later posted a video, boasting that they got ICE to leave the area, and that they were “trying to kidnap kids from school”.

They shielded a killer. https://t.co/KM835bRjvl

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 31, 2025

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