Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking aim at Massachusetts as Trump administration officials have pledged to flood sanctuary cities with agents in the coming weeks.
“ICE launched ‘Patriot 2.0’ to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.
(DHS has long said it’s focusing on the “worst of the worst,” though data about the immigrants who’ve been detained undermines this assertion: In July 2025, an Associated Press analysis found the majority of immigrants in detention at that time had no criminal convictions.)
The agency’s recent push follows an ICE surge in Massachusetts in May dubbed “Operation Patriot,” which saw agents engaging in chaotic and violent arrests of local residents in places including Worcester, Nantucket and Boston.
At the time, DHS said it had arrested roughly 1,500 undocumented people as part of that effort, which sparked major protests in numerous cities.
