Boston under pressure: Immigrant arrests increase
Arrests are on the rise, and fear is growing in immigrant communities due to Trump's anti-sanctuary policies.
Photo of Chris Boese in Unsplash
Immigration enforcement in the Boston metropolitan area has escalated in recent weeks, with reports of immigrants detained on their way to work, in supermarket parking lots, and outside courthouses. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations are part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on so-called "illegible" immigrants. sanctuary cities, jurisdictions that limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.
Immigrant rights advocates have reported an increase in the presence of unmarked ICE vehicles in neighborhoods with high migrant populations. “This is really increasing the fear in communities, which is already incredibly high,” said Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
In Saugus, a resident recorded the moment three gardeners were arrested in front of City Hall after federal agents smashed the window of their truck. In Everett, uncertainty led to the cancellation of the annual Hispanic Heritage Month festival: the mayor warned that it was unsafe to hold a celebration amid rising fears.
ICE's actions have received support in neighboring states. New Hampshire's Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte recently signed a law banning sanctuary policies in her state and made a local airport available for the transfer of detainees. However, in Massachusetts, the crackdown has drawn criticism. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu accused Trump of "attacking cities to hide his administration's failures" following a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against the city and its police department for maintaining sanctuary policies.
Patriot 2.0 in Boston
Operation Patriot 2.0, launched by ICE after the detention of more than 1,500 immigrants in May, coincided with the Boston municipal preliminary elections, in which Wu was easily reelected. The mayor has become a frequent target of criticism from the Trump administration, which maintains that sanctuary policies "protect criminals" and put citizens at risk.
In a statement, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated that the operations are focused on "the worst criminal illegal immigrants." However, the agency has not specified the number of arrests since the start of the new phase of raids.
Meanwhile, immigrant families remain in their homes for fear of being detained, and community leaders warn that distrust of authorities is weakening public life and participation in local activities.
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