Just as he promised on the campaign trail, President Trump has sent federal officers to sanctuary cities to arrest over 300 undocumented migrants with criminal records. In a sweeping operation beginning on Trump’s very first day in office, accused murderers and child molesters are now being held for deportation.
The operation, spearheaded by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was conducted in major cities including Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Miami. A senior Trump administration official described the effort as a multi-agency collaboration to address public safety concerns.
ICE officers were guided by a “target sheet” of undocumented migrants with criminal records, focused on apprehending individuals deemed the most serious threats. “They’re out there right now looking for the most serious public safety threats across the country,” said former Border Czar Tom Homan.
One apprehension is making headlines due to the criminal’s behavior as he was arrested. In Boston, ICE officers arrested eight individuals, including members of the MS-13 gang and a Haitian gang member with 18 prior arrests. According to Fox News, which had an exclusive press embed accompanying ICE during the operation, the Haitian gang member shouted, “F–k Trump, Biden forever!” as he was taken into custody. One collateral arrest involved an undocumented individual who was with MS-13 gang members at the time of the raid.
Homan warned that collateral arrests—the detention of undocumented individuals who are not initial targets—would likely increase, especially in sanctuary cities. “When we find the bad guy, there’s probably others who are in the United States illegally,” Homan said. “They may not be a criminal priority, but we’re not walking away from them.”
SNEAK PEEK: We embedded exclusively w/ ICE Boston today as they targeted egregious criminal aliens. We witnessed 8 arrests, including multiple MS-13, Interpol Red Notices, murder & rape suspects, & a volatile Haitian gang member w/ 18 convictions in recent years who told our… pic.twitter.com/LgerOp8dU8
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 22, 2025
