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‘Absolutely ridiculous’: Boston ICE denies rumors that agents are ‘targeting nannies’
Rumors circulated on social media this week that ICE agents have been arresting nannies at parks and playgrounds across Boston.
In a rare public statement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are denying rumors that they were detaining nannies at Boston playgrounds.
“ICE Boston is NOT targeting nannies,” the agency said on X. “Rumors to the contrary are false and unnecessarily risk the safety of our officers and agents.”
The rumors have spread across social media this week, including on the r/boston sub-Reddit. One user posted Monday about claims that ICE agents were “scooping up nannies” in raids across Back Bay, including at the Clarendon Street playground.
“Any rumors that ICE officials are targeting nannies at playgrounds or parks are entirely false and absolutely ridiculous,” Patricia H. Hyde, acting field office director at ICE Boston, said in the statement. “Such rumors amount to nothing more than scare tactics and unnecessarily place the safety of our brave officers in jeopardy.”
ICE Boston is NOT targeting nannies. Rumors to the contrary are false and unnecessarily risk the safety of our officers and agents. pic.twitter.com/QSfF0Qnvlj
— ERO Boston (@EROBoston) May 13, 2025
Fears that nannies were being detained emerged after similar rumors spread that ICE agents were making arrests at a playground in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Washington, D.C., according to The Washington Post.
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Neighbors, elected officials, and immigration attorneys showed up to the playground when two unmarked SUVs with dark-tinted windows were spotted in a nearby alley, the Post reported. It turned out that the vehicles actually belonged to the U.S. Marshals Service, which was arresting a murder suspect in a nearby apartment building.
ICE officials declined to tell the Post whether agents made any arrests in D.C. throughout that week, citing safety concerns. However, Homeland Security reportedly demanded that several restaurants across D.C. prove that their workers are eligible to work in the United States, according to the Post.
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“It appears that ICE is at restaurants or even in neighborhoods, and it doesn’t look like they’re targeting criminals,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told NBC4 Washington.
Though the rumors turned out to not be true, concerns about ICE officers turning up unexpectedly are a result of community members’ efforts to stay on high alert. In Massachusetts, the LUCE hotline, organized by the Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, serves as a resource for residents to report ICE presence in their neighborhoods.
ICE Boston has seldom responded to rumors or pushback in the wake of arrests, instead leaving that task up to officials such as U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, who released a statement Wednesday afternoon rebuking community members who have interfered with arrests in Massachusetts.
“The interference with ICE operations around Massachusetts has been disturbing, to say the least,” Foley said in the statement. “I will not stand idly by if any public official, public safety officer, organization or private citizen acts in a manner that criminally obstructs or impedes ICE operations.”
Foley affirmed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will investigate and pursue “warranted” charges against anyone impeding ICE operations.
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Foley’s statement was released after Worcester police arrested both a 16-year-old and a school committee candidate who tried to intervene when ICE detained the 16-year-old’s mother. The arrests have sparked significant pushback within the community, including against the Worcester City Council, who moved Tuesday’s meeting to Zoom, citing “public safety concerns.”
ICE and the Boston Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday evening.
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