In a suburb of Boston, ICE agents conducted a targeted enforcement operation to apprehend undocumented immigrants with criminal records who had been released on bail by local jurisdictions. The operation required hours of surveillance and manpower to arrest just five individuals. ICE insists that they only focus on individuals who have committed felonies or egregious crimes and do not conduct blanket sweeps. However, there are concerns about how these operations will change under the incoming Trump administration, which has plans for mass deportations.
The agency is already dealing with a budget shortfall and plans to ramp up partnerships with local law enforcement to help with manpower. However, a battle is brewing between local jurisdictions and federal authorities over cooperation with ICE. With the impending changes, immigration advocacy groups are seeing a surge in requests for legal services as immigrants are worried about what will happen after Trump takes office.
One Haitian immigrant in Boston shared her harrowing journey to the U.S. and her fear of deportation under Trump’s administration. She is one of 1.2 million immigrants in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status from countries considered unsafe. The woman, who now lives in a sanctuary city with her U.S. citizen children, is anxious about what the future holds and the possibility of being separated from her family. The uncertainty surrounding immigration policies and enforcement actions has created fear and apprehension among immigrant communities in the United States.
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