Federal immigration agents carried out a series of arrests in Boston this past weekend as part of "Operation Patriot 2.0," the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, detaining multiple noncitizens on allegations that include aggravated rape, drug trafficking and armed robbery.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the operation, launched Sept. 6, was aimed at "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts," and she listed rapists, child abusers, drug traffickers and other violent offenders among those arrested. The activity comes days before preliminary voting in the Boston mayoral race and follows an earlier Operation Patriot in May that ICE says resulted in roughly 1,500 arrests.
Local officials and the mayor have sharply criticized the operation. Mayor Michelle Wu, whose sanctuary policies have been a focal point of the dispute, reiterated that Boston will not use local police or resources for federal immigration enforcement, citing the Boston Trust Act. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Wu said ICE had "refused to provide any information about their activities in Boston and refuses to issue warrants," and she said reports that agents took parents while dropping children off at school undermined community safety. "We expect that federal law enforcement will abide by the constitution and laws of this City, Commonwealth, and country, and we are prepared to take legal action at any evidence to the contrary," Wu said.
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Wu over the sanctuary measures, the administration announced last week. Federal officials have also said other cities — including Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles — are being targeted by the administration's broader deportation efforts.
ICE released names and allegations tied to several arrests made during the operation. ICE said Victor Gomez-Perez, identified by the agency as a Guatemalan national in the country illegally, is facing charges including aggravated rape as well as various assault and battery counts and has a prior assault conviction. Kely Yohana Espinosa-Viana, identified as a Colombian national, is charged with aggravated assault against a pregnant woman.
Other individuals ICE cited include Brahian Valdez-Placencia, a Dominican national facing allegations that include armed robbery, strangling and assault and battery, and Joshua Gonzalez Baez, also identified as Dominican, who is facing drug-related charges and allegations of resisting an officer. Samuel Armando Barrera-Hernandez, identified as a Guatemalan national, was arrested on a pending assault and battery charge against a minor, ICE said. Noe Feliciano Garcia-Majia, whom ICE said has prior arrests for alleged strangulation or suffocation and other assaults, and Paulo Lima Borges, described by the agency as a Cape Verde national previously convicted of possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to distribute, were also among those detained, according to ICE.
ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials framed the operation as a law-enforcement action focused on serious criminality. McLaughlin's statement described sanctuary policies as permissive toward criminal noncitizens, saying such policies "attract and harbor criminals" and imperil law‑abiding residents.
City officials disputed aspects of ICE's conduct and said they would not assist in federal immigration enforcement. Boston has long been a site of tension between municipal sanctuary policies and federal immigration authorities, and the arrests renewed debate about the balance between local public-safety priorities and federal immigration mandates.
The enforcement activity has political implications. Preliminary voting in the Boston mayoral contest is scheduled this week, and immigration policy and public safety figures prominently in campaign discourse. Both Mayor Wu and her likely general election opponent, Josh Kraft, have criticized the Trump administration's immigration tactics, though they have differed on the city’s response and cooperation with federal agencies.
ICE leadership has signaled plans to continue enforcement in sanctuary jurisdictions, and some agency officials publicly vowed to increase personnel in Boston following the mayor’s resistance, according to statements released by the agency and the administration.
The timeline for any legal challenges tied to the arrests or the broader dispute between federal authorities and the city was not immediately clear. Federal officials have said the operation is ongoing and is part of a broader strategy to prioritize noncitizens whom they describe as posing a threat to public safety. Local leaders have said they will review ICE's actions and pursue litigation if they determine the city’s and residents’ legal rights have been violated.
Advocates for immigrants and legal observers have previously raised concerns about the impact of aggressive enforcement actions on community trust in policing and on immigration court processes. Federal officials say their priority in the current operation is identifying and detaining individuals with serious criminal allegations.
As the city heads into its mayoral preliminary election, the clash between Boston's sanctuary policies and the federal enforcement campaign is likely to remain a central issue for voters and officials, with court filings and enforcement actions expected to shape the next phase of the dispute.