Federal immigration agents raided the Boston area this week, reportedly arresting several undocumented immigrants with criminal histories.
Fox News, which was “on board” with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, documented the operation, which took place on Wednesday.
The arrests came just days after President Donald Trump, in his inaugural address, promised to deport “millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places they came from.”
Fox News reported seeing Boston ICE agents detain eight people, including suspected gang members and individuals accused of violent crimes. Two other arrests took place off-camera, according to Fox correspondent Bill Melugin.
Melugin explained that ICE had adopted a “worst first” strategy, focusing on undocumented immigrants with the most serious criminal histories.
Among those arrested were a suspected MS-13 gang member and a man believed to be wanted by Interpol. A Haitian national with 17 criminal convictions was also taken into custody. During his arrest, the man shouted: “I’m not going back to Haiti” and “F*** Trump, are you following me? Yo, Biden forever, bro”.
Patricia Hyde, acting director of ICE’s Field Office for Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston, defended the raids, pointing out the risks posed by some of those arrested. “Today, we removed several significant threats to public safety from our communities,” Hyde told Fox News. She criticized asylum policies, saying they allowed dangerous individuals to remain at large. “We’re here to tell the Commonwealth and the rest of the country that we’re going to find them, whether they’re released or not.”
Wednesday’s raids took place in East Boston, Chelsea and other nearby areas, according to reports from local stations WCVB and NBC10 Boston.
ICE did not respond to requests for confirmation or clarification on how Fox News gained access to the operation.
The Trump administration has prioritized aggressive immigration enforcement, with Border Czar Tom Homan telling Fox News that ICE has detained “more than 308 … serious criminals” nationwide in the space of 24 hours.
Vice President JD Vance publicly supported these actions, sharing a clip of the operation on social media and writing, “I’m glad we’re deporting him.”
The operations are part of a wider campaign to crack down on undocumented immigrants with criminal records. However, critics argue that the collaboration between federal agencies and the media raises questions about transparency and accountability.
This article is based on information provided by Fox News and local Boston media.
