U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working with multiple law enforcement agencies, arrested 370 “alien offenders” during a crackdown on criminal activities in Massachusetts from March 18-23.
The arrests came as part of an “enhanced targeted enforcement operation focusing on transnational organized crime, gangs, and egregious illegal alien offenders,” ICE said in a March 24 statement.
“ICE and their federal law enforcement partners made many of the apprehensions after local jurisdictions refused to honor immigration detainer requests to turn over the offenders and instead chose to release aliens from custody, forcing officers and agents to make at-large arrests in Massachusetts communities,” the agency said.
Out of the 370 arrests, 205 of the individuals had “significant criminal convictions or charges.” Six individuals were foreign fugitives with charges or convictions for crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
Among those arrested were a Dominican illegal who was previously removed from the United States for being involved in drug distribution; a Chilean illegal convicted of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14; a Brazilian illegal charged with homicide; and a Guatemalan illegal facing rape charges.
“Safeguarding the integrity of the immigration and citizenship process is critical,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division.
“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.”
During the operation, authorities seized three firearms and ammunition, approximately five kilograms of fentanyl, roughly 44 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 1.2 kilograms of cocaine.
Agencies that took part in the operation included the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department on March 24 announced that the United States plans to extradite three Tren de Aragua members to Chile, where they are wanted for kidnapping and ransom.
Deportation Efforts
President Donald Trump’s attempt to deport criminal illegal immigrants hit a roadblock this week as a federal judge denied the administration’s request to remove two orders blocking the deportation of Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.The president’s move aimed to speed up the deportations of Venezuelans ages 14 and older who are members of the Tren de Aragua gang and not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States.
However, Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued two orders that blocked the administration from deporting members of the gang under the Alien Enemies Act.
The administration requested to remove the two orders. On Monday, the judge declined to do so, saying the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their argument that they deserve individual hearings to determine whether the act is applicable to them.
In multiple court filings, the Trump administration criticized Boasberg’s orders. They are “an affront to the President’s broad constitutional and statutory authority to protect the United States from dangerous aliens who pose grave threats to the American people,” one filing said.
Meanwhile, the administration is moving ahead with its deportation plans.
The program, launched in 2022, allowed people from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti to come to the United States if they had U.S. sponsors.
