Federal agents just wrapped up a major sweep in Massachusetts, hauling in over 1,400 illegal aliens who had no business being on American streets. Operation Patriot 2.0, running from early September through the end of the month, zeroed in on the worst offenders hiding out in sanctuary strongholds like Boston. Agents nabbed murderers, rapists, child predators, drug dealers, and hardened gangbangers from outfits like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.
The tally speaks for itself: 1,406 arrests, with more than 600 carrying rap sheets loaded with violent crimes. Six were confirmed members of transnational gangs, and others were tight associates. Then there are the 277 who thumbed their noses at deportation orders, plus three flagged as known or suspected terrorists. Several came with Interpol Red Notices or warrants from their home countries for serious felonies.
Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons didn’t mince words: “Patriot 2.0 exposed the grave consequences of sanctuary policies and the urgent need for local leaders to prioritize their constituents’ safety over politics.” He went on: “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.”
Lyons pointed out how these sanctuary setups draw in the dregs: “Hey, we’re the number three destination site for all new non-citizens coming to Massachusetts, because you have a place where you can get a driver’s license with no ID check, right? You have places that if you were in proceedings with ice, you were eligible for hotels, food stipends. So there was that big draw.”
Even as the operation rolled, local jails kept dumping more criminals back into neighborhoods, ignoring ICE detainers and forcing agents into risky street takedowns. Lyons described it: “During Operation Patriot, while we were conducting targeted enforcement… there were still other criminal aliens being released. So we ended up almost doubling the number of arrests just because while we were trying to go after the ones we had planned on arresting, the state of Massachusetts… were releasing criminal aliens in real time.”
He added: “They’re releasing them at two, three in the morning, when they know ice isn’t around.”