ICE Is Said to Have Begun Operation in the Boston Area

The Trump administration has initiated an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Massachusetts, including the Boston area, that is expected to last several weeks, according to two sources with knowledge of the action.

The initiative, which began late this week, is called Operation Patriot 2.0, the sources said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The operation came just days before the Trump administration was expected to kick off an immigration crackdown in Chicago and as immigration arrests have ramped up in Washington.

One U.S. official, who also was not authorized to speak publicly, said the agency had prepared plans for a wider surge of immigration enforcement starting this month.

Top Trump officials have already hinted that they plan to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities, which limit local police cooperation with federal immigration officials. From the beginning of the first Trump administration, top immigration officials have sought to force progressive cities to cooperate, particularly in local jails, where ICE officials prefer to pick up immigrants directly.

Earlier this week, Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, said to expect ramped-up enforcement in a multitude of sanctuary cities. A couple of weeks before that, ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, told a radio station in Boston that the agency would “flood the zone” in sanctuary cities.

One homeland security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the operation was targeting the region because of its sanctuary policies, particularly going after immigrants who had been released from custody despite ICE seeking their detention from local jails.