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ICE detains dozens of immigrants on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket
ICE officials said some of the people had criminal histories, but did not provide detailed information about the individuals who were handcuffed and shipped off the islands.
ICE officers, with the help of other federal agents, apprehended approximately 40 people on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Tuesday, according to the agency.
ICE was assisted by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Coast Guard. Officials said that “around 40 alien offenders” were detained, many of whom “had U.S. criminality.”
This included a member of the MS-13 gang and “at least one” child sex offender, they said. ICE officials did not release the names of the people who were detained or more detailed information about any alleged criminal history.
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“Operations like this highlight the strong alliances that ICE shares with our fellow law enforcement partners,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the ATF confirmed that the agency is assisting ICE throughout New England, but did not comment on the Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket operations. The ATF spokesperson and an FBI spokesperson both referred a reporter to ICE for more information. A Coast Guard spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
The Coast Guard “provided small boats and a cutter” to help with ICE operations, immigration enforcement officials said in a release.
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“Our partners in the U.S. Coast Guard facilitated a safe and efficient transport of the alien offenders off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, ensuring the safety of the residents of those communities,” Hyde said in a statement.
State Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents the Cape and Islands, responded to the operations in a thread on X. Cyr said he was “saddened and alarmed” by operations that appeared to have “gone far beyond any targeted effort.”
Workers were profiled and their vans were pulled over for questioning “without clear cause,” he said.
arrest of two individuals with criminal histories, that does not justify these broad, indiscriminate tactics with little regard for due process. These actions reflect a troubling nationwide political agenda on immigration enforcement—one that prioritizes fear over fairness.
— Julian Cyr (@JulianCyr) May 28, 2025
The Nantucket Current obtained and posted video of handcuffed detainees wearing life jackets being led onto Coast Guard vessels and taken off the island. Nantucket Police told the outlet that the department was notified Monday that ICE activity would be imminent, but that local police did not assist in the operation in any way.
The Martha’s Vineyard Times posted a short video online showing masked federal agents inspecting a van on the side of a road. What appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle was parked behind the van.
Despite assurances that deportation efforts would focus on immigrants with criminal histories, people with legal status or no criminal history are being detained across the country.
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Kimberly Milka, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division, said that not all the people being targeted by federal agents are endangering public safety.
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“This operation highlights FBI Boston’s ongoing commitment to supporting our partners at the Department of Homeland Security with identifying and apprehending those who are breaking the law by violating our immigration laws and, in some cases, committing crimes that endanger public safety,” she said in a statement.
White House officials recently increased pressure on ICE officials to meet daily arrest quotas. Administration officials are hoping to arrest 3,000 people a day, triple the number of daily arrests that were being made early on in Trump’s second term, according to Axios. To boost these numbers, agents are flocking to immigration courts to detain people who are appearing for scheduled hearings, the New York Times reported.
In Massachusetts, social media users are documenting ICE activity regularly. Reports of ICE agents operating in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood spread Wednesday morning.
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