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Tag: ICE

Boston police commissioner doubles down on ICE resistance: ‘We don’t enforce’ detainers

Democrat-appointed Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox is echoing Mayor Michelle Wu’s pledged resistance to the Trump administration’s deportations, saying on a local news station on Sunday that “we don’t enforce” civil immigration detainers filed by ICE.

While speaking on a segment of WCVB’s “On the Record” show, Cox, who was appointed as police commissioner by Wu in 2022, said that in line with state and city laws, Boston police officers “don’t have authority to enforce federal immigration law.”

Pressed on whether this policy conflicts with federal immigration law, Cox said that “the Boston Police Department has pretty defined rules and we abide by the law here in the state.”

“We just don’t do that,” he said. “We don’t enforce civil detainers regarding federal immigration law. It’s defined here in the state, and that’s just how it works.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR

Trump Border Czar Tom Homan across from Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.

Both the Boston “Trust Act,” passed in 2014, and a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling known as Lunn vs. Commonwealth both limit law enforcement entities in the city and state from cooperating with ICE “detainer” requests to hold illegal immigrants for potential deportation.

Speaking on the same show shortly after the presidential election, Wu said: “Elections have consequences, and the federal government is responsible for a certain set of actions, and cities, no individual city, can reverse or override some parts of that. But what we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way, that we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large scale economic impact.”

ICE has said that such policies endanger local communities by forcing the agency to track down illegals and to make often high-risk arrests in public spaces.

ICE ARRESTS ‘PREDATOR’ MIGRANT CONVICTED OF SECRETLY RECORDING OTHERS IN BATHROOM

ICE Boston arrests Salvadoran national, on January 30th, 2025 charged with sexually assaulting a Massachusetts resident. (ICE Boston)

Despite this, and repeated criticisms by the Trump administration and border czar Tom Homan, Cox insisted that his department “abides by Boston law and Massachusetts law,” saying: “We don’t have the authority to enforce federal immigration law.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“From our perspective and what we tell anyone who comes to visit our city, lives in our city, is that we don’t care about your immigration status, but what we do care about is: Are you a victim of crime in our city or are you a victimizer, right? We will hold you accountable for that, and that doesn’t matter what your immigration status is,” he said.

Asked what he would say to Massachusetts residents who are concerned that the Boston Police Department’s policy does not protect them, the commissioner tripled down, saying: “We just don’t have the authority to enforce federal law.” He also went on to say that “what people don’t understand is that there is a difference between criminal warrants and civil detainers” and that “if it’s a warrant involved, we will absolutely enforce it.”

TRANS MIGRANT FINDING SANCTUARY IN NYC ACCUSED OF RAPING 14-YEAR-OLD

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference regarding immigration enforcement at the Justice Department, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (Ben Curtis/AP)

Homan, meanwhile, has warned jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement authorities, telling them: “Don’t cross that line.” On her first day in office, Trump’s U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a 60-day pause on federal funding to migrant “sanctuary cities.”

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In response to the possibility of Boston having its federal funding cut or removed, Cox said, “We could not be as safe as we are without the help of the federal government. They are partners with us, so I don’t know why that would be undone. But when it comes to financing and income flows into our city, I can only control what we can control, whether it’s the city council, through a budget process every year, or however, the way people talk about funding the police department.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
ICE arrests ‘predator’ migrant convicted of secretly recording others in bathroom

ICE officials in Houston arrested an immigrant “predator” previously convicted of secretly recording others in a bathroom in one of the latest developments in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The immigrant, Mexican national Daniel Alejandro Tristan-Guerra, was arrested by Houston Homeland Security Investigations officials “when his guard was down” on Feb. 11, according to an ICE statement released on Friday.

Tristan-Guerra, 28, was arrested in a small town called Hallettsville in Lavaca County, Texas. After his arrest, he was taken to the Victoria County Jail pending his removal from the U.S.

TOM HOMAN ON SUCCESS OF IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN: WON’T BE HAPPY UNTIL EVERY CRIMINAL MIGRANT IS ‘ERADICATED’

Mexican national Daniel Alejandro Tristan-Guerra was arrested by Houston Homeland Security Investigations officials “when his guard was down” on Feb. 11, according to an ICE statement released on Friday. (ICE/Adobe Stock)

While several law enforcement entities in Democrat-controlled cities and states are refusing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations, this arrest was made following a joint investigation by ICE and the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office.

Tristan-Guerra was convicted on two counts of invasive visual recording in a bathroom in August 2021 after an investigation by ICE HSI Houston and the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office.

ICE and federal agents in Houston have been very active in recent weeks, making several arrests in addition to Tristan-Guerra, including the arrest of several suspected members of the international criminal migrant group Tren de Aragua.

FIRST 10 ‘HIGH THREAT’ ILLEGALS TO ARRIVE TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY ARE ALL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS

This image shows migrants boarding a military flight to Guantánamo Bay. (Department of Homeland Security)

On Feb. 12, HSI Houston arrested three suspected Tren de Aragua associates wanted for their involvement in a multi-state sex trafficking ring operated by the group.

Elsewhere in Texas, a South Texas man named Eusebio Cavazos, 33, pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 36 illegal aliens in a tractor-trailer after an investigation by ICE and U.S. Border Patrol.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Commenting on the recent operations, ICE HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz said “the days of transnational criminal organizations raking in billions in illicit profits each year by trampling on our nation’s sovereignty and flooding our country with millions of unvetted aliens who could present a threat to public safety or national security are over.”

TRANS MIGRANT FINDING SANCTUARY IN NYC ACCUSED OF RAPING 14-YEAR-OLD

(Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)

“The law enforcement community in Southeast Texas is united in our effort to restore law and order along the southern border by aggressively pursuing and dismantling human smuggling organizations and other criminal organizations who are bold enough to test our collective resolve,” he said.

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Addressing Tristan-Guerra’s recent arrest, Plantz commended local law enforcement for cooperating with ICE, which he said ensured the safety of the community.

“Working alongside our partners in Lavaca County, ICE HSI special agents were able to safely apprehend him when his guard was down and minimize any threat to the public,” said Plantz. “The residents in Southeast Texas can rest easier today knowing this predator has been removed from the community.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
Border czar Homan, AOC clash over webinar on ICE

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on Friday clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over a webinar she hosted advising migrants about how to handle an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Let’s pray that she is not ‘educating’ the next murderer of a young college nursing student on how to evade arrest by ICE,” Homan told Fox News Digital on Friday. “How many more young women have to be raped, murdered and burned alive until she wakes up?”

Homan had first said on “The Ingraham Angle” that he had emailed the deputy attorney general asking whether Ocasio-Cortez’s hosting of a “Know Your Rights with ICE” event on her Facebook page could count as an impediment to federal law enforcement.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR

Border czar Tom Homan and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (Getty)

“Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts?” Homan said. “If so, what are we going to do about it? Is she crossing the line? So I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be going to be in trouble now.”

During the event, viewers were informed of how to deal with ICE search requests. Migrants were also warned of “ruses” they allege ICE agents employ to get people to comply with searches, while the hosts also touted “trends” in how ICE conducts its searches, which have ramped up in recent weeks under the Trump administration. People were also recommended to record such searches and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry.

Ocasio-Cortez did not take part in the webinar but did upload tips to Instagram — via posters in both English and Spanish — and called on her followers to share the posters widely and study them. She also called on her followers to print out the posters and “tape them up in your workplace or keep them by your door.”

“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” she wrote.

On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez took to X to mock Homan for suggesting she could be in trouble.

“MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” she posted.

“Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start,” she said.

AOC’S OFFICE ADVISES MIGRANTS ON HOW TO AVOID DEPORTATIONS IN LIVE WEBINAR

A screenshot from the webinar. (Facebook)

In comments to Fox News Digital, Homan said that he was asking the Justice Department for their interpretation of the law regarding impeding and obstruction, and that he is “well aware of the Constitution, but I am also aware that DOJ gives legal interpretations on issues like this to ensure ICE acts in accordance of the law.”

He then suggested Ocasio-Cortez read Title 8 USC 1324 and 8 USC 1325, “statutes enacted by Congress, of which she is a part of.”

“It’s not OK to be in the U.S. illegally. It’s a violation of federal law to enter this country illegally. It is not OK to assist those in the U.S. illegally in furtherance of their illegal entry and unlawful presence. I thought I educated her on this several years ago during congressional testimony.,” he said, referencing a viral clash from the first Trump administration at a congressional hearing.

“She can call it ‘advising those who are illegally in the U.S. of their constitutional rights.’ But we all know it’s really about evading ICE and how not to get arrested and how not to adhere to a federal judge’s order to leave after receiving due process at great taxpayer expense,” he said.

“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“She obviously believes that we should not enforce laws enacted by Congress. By working against ICE, she is putting those that committed a crime entering this country illegally and those that committed asylum fraud and those who ignored a federal court order of deportation over those that enforce our laws and risk their lives every day trying to keep our communities safe.”

Ocasio-Cortez responded, telling Fox News Digital: “I am glad Mr. Homan is checking with the Department of Justice to familiarize himself with the limits of his agency’s authority in entering the homes of everyday Americans without a warrant. And I am proud to offer civil education to everyday Americans to ensure ICE’s compliance with the law, given the numerous reports of agents providing incorrect paperwork in their attempts to enter and search private homes.”

“Since Mr. Homan seems to be vaguely familiar with U.S. immigration law, we also remind him that according to Congressional statute, becoming undocumented in the United States is a civil offense and not a criminal one. I look forward to continuing our work in ensuring the safety of everyday New Yorkers while keeping families together,” she said.

The clash comes as many left-wing Democrats continue to raise objections to the mass deportation operation launched by the Trump administration. However, some Democrats have also expressed support, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams meeting with Homan on Thursday and agreeing to let ICE agents on to Rikers Island. While New York City is a “sanctuary” city, Adams has expressed openness to deporting criminal illegal immigrants.

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Fox News Digital reported earlier on Friday that ICE interior arrests have skyrocketed under the Trump administration compared to the same period during the Biden administration last year, with a 137% increase over last year. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year.

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 14, 2025
Illegal immigrant arrests skyrocket under Trump ICE compared to Biden levels last year: ‘Worst of the worst’

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of illegal immigrants have soared under the Trump administration compared to the same period last year under the Biden administration, with some metrics doubling or even tripling.

According to Department of Homeland Security data, obtained by Fox News Digital, there were 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8., compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That’s a 137% increase.

Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year.

Arrests of fugitive aliens at-large, meanwhile, have gone up from 2,164 to 5,538 — a 156% increase. Arrests of criminal aliens in local jails have gone up 59%.

TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’

ICE and DEA migrant raids NYC (Drug Enforcement Administration New York)

Arrests of suspected gang members, including those belonging to the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua, went from 210 in that period in 2024 to 430 under Trump, a 105% increase.

The data is the latest sign that the Trump administration’s flat-out push to ramp up arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants, including by loosening the cuffs on ICE agents imposed by the prior administration, is having a significant impact.

The administration has said it is trying to target the “worst of the worst,” focusing on criminal illegal immigrants and gang members, but has also stressed that it is not ruling anyone out of contention.

ICE has been conducting operations throughout the country, including “sanctuary” cities that do not cooperate with federal enforcement. Fox reported last week that the administration is using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants as it looks to provide additional bedspace.

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

The administration is using Guantánamo Bay to house up to 30,000 detainees, with multiple flights leaving last week. Meanwhile, the DOJ has announced legal action against New York and Chicago over sanctuary laws in place there.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Those moves came after a slew of moves in the first days of the administration. President Donald Trump signed orders declaring a national emergency at the border, restarting border wall construction and terminating Biden-era parole policies. The Department of Homeland Security has since removed limits on “sensitive places” placed upon agents by the Biden administration, and has ended Temporary Protected Status for some Venezuelan nationals.

“We have thousands of beds in detention facilities that are open today,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on “Fox News Sunday. “We’ll continue to do ops in the different communities to get these dangerous criminals off of our streets and to get them home.”

Thomas Homan speaks at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., Monday, July 8, 2024. (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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Other numbers have suggested policies are having an impact on the border as well. Fox News reported this week that the daily average number of known gotaways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 14, 2025
Newsom to veto California bill blocking prisons from working with ICE: report

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is vowing to veto a bill that would block his state’s prison system from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a report says.

Assembly Bill 15 argues that “when California’s jails and prisons voluntarily and unnecessarily transfer immigrant and refugee community members eligible for release from state or local custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration detention and deportation purposes, they subject these community members to double punishment and further trauma.”

“The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall not detain on the basis of a hold request, provide an immigration authority with release date information, or respond to a notification request, transfer to an immigration authority, or facilitate or assist with a transfer request any individual who is eligible for release,” reads some of the language of the bill.

However, Newsom’s office told KCRA 3 that the governor would veto the bill if it ever lands on his desk this year. Currently, the legislation has been referred to the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, the station added.

CALIFORNIA CITY PASSES SWEEPING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT BAN ON ALL PUBLIC PROPERTY

California Gov. Gavin Newsom waits for President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to step off Air Force One upon their arrival at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Jan. 24. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Friday. The bill is sponsored by Mike Gipson, a Democratic lawmaker who represents Los Angeles.

Two years ago, Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill 1306, which called for similar actions.

“This bill prohibits the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from providing any information or responding to a request for coordination from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency, regarding the imminent release of an incarcerated non-citizen, if the person is being released under specific circumstances,” Newsom wrote at the time.

TRUMP-SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF TO LAUNCH REPUBLICAN BID FOR GOVERNOR IN RACE TO SUCCEED NEWSOM: SOURCES

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement knocks on the door of an alleged suspect during a recent operation in Chicago, Ill. Assembly Bill 15 would prevent California’s prison system from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The bill would prevent information sharing and coordination upon a person’s release from CDCR custody for a significant number of people and, as a result, would impede CDCR’s interaction with a federal law enforcement agency charged with assessing public safety risks,” he continued.

“I believe current law strikes the right balance on limiting interaction to support community trust and cooperation between law enforcement and local communities. For this reason, I cannot sign this bill,” Newsom concluded.

A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officer holds a pair of handcuffs at the Short-Term Restricted Housing Unit of California State Prison, Sacramento. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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More than 10,500 California inmates have been transferred into ICE custody since Newsom took office in 2019, KCRA 3 reported, citing prison system data.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

February 14, 2025
Adams vows to let ICE agents work at Rikers Island after meeting with border czar

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said a plan was being worked on to allow federal immigration authorities to operate on Rikers Island following a meeting with border czar Tom Homan, a significant step given the city’s sanctuary policies.

Adams met with Homan during a closed-door meeting. In a statement, he said an executive order was being worked on to “reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years.”

“But now, instead, ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs,” he added.

TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED

The Rikers Island jail complex is seen with the Manhattan skyline in the background on June 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Adams said the pair discussed how to combat violent migrant gangs and embedding more New York Police Department officers into federal task forces.

Unlike many blue city mayors, Adams has expressed interest in working with the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration in an effort to combat crime.

He noted that New York shouldered a larger number of migrants transported to blue cities from the southern border.

“New York City has been forced to shoulder the burden of a national humanitarian crisis where more than 230,000 migrants have come to our city seeking support, at a cost of approximately $7 billion, with little help from the previous administration,” Adams said.

AG PAM BONDI VOWS TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP’S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA

Border czar Tom Homan, left, met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday to discuss the city’s ongoing migrant crisis. (Getty Images)

“That is why I have been clear that I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers,” he added.

The meeting came days after the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop a bribery case against Adams.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a letter to the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on Monday, instructing the SDNY to drop the federal case against Adams and dismiss it without prejudice.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams sits down for an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. (Fox News / The Story)

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In response, Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned on Thursday in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken a hard stance against sanctuary cities. On Wednesday, Bondi put New York and other cities on notice.

“This is a new DOJ,” she told reporters while announcing a lawsuit against New York state and government officials. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.”

February 14, 2025
Trump’s ICE limits illegal immigrant releases amid moves to shake off Biden ‘hangover’

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is taking dramatic steps to limit the number of illegal immigrants released from custody, as it moves at speed to shake off what one official described as the “hangover” from the Biden administration.

Fox News Digital is told that, as of this week, officials are being instructed that any release of an illegal immigrant in ICE custody must be personally signed off on by acting ICE director Caleb Vitello.

The administration has racked up thousands of arrests in the first week as it launched a mass deportation operation in cities and states across the U.S., with agents quickly hitting over 1,000 arrests a day as the agency drops Biden-era restrictions and takes a more aggressive stance towards illegal immigration.

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

ICE agents arrested seven illegal immigrants during a workforce operation raid. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

“We are fending off the hangover and some of the bad habits,” a senior ICE official told Fox News Digital, comparing the task to turning around the Titanic. “We are fixing four years of really bad habits.”

ICE currently has just under 42,000 beds available to it, and has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The administration has been pushing hard to get more beds and detention space, but sources tell Fox it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver given the time taken to identify buildings, hire people, conduct background checks and related requirements. That help is expected soon, but it is still in the process of coming online.

The White House confirmed on Wednesday that around 460 illegal immigrants have been released from custody of the more than 8,000 arrested. While that’s a small percentage, it’s expected to get even smaller with the additional restrictions.

“I expect the number of releases to fall off a cliff,” the ICE official told Fox News Digital, stressing that the new sign-off requirement sends a message to agents about a new posture by the agents.

The official stressed that any releases do not include public safety or national security threats. Anyone released is only done so with monitoring like ankle bracelets. Cases where illegal immigrants could be released could include someone who is pregnant or who is ill with cancer.

“That’s someone we are likely going to release…not only for the human side of it, but ICE and the government incur all of those medical costs the minute we take somebody into custody and so now we’re passing that on to the taxpayer as well,” they said.

While there are now additional limits on releases, ICE is also moving quickly to ramp up detention space. ICE has requested an apportionment of around $575 million from Congress as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work quicker and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and one million removals a year.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It’s also working with the Bureau of Prisons to identify space to house illegal immigrants as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — where there may be plenty of open space in soft-sided facilities due to a dramatic plunge in encounters at the border. This week, the administration began flying illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, where there are expected to be around 30,000 spaces.

“We are looking well outside the box,” the official said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Family detention is one of the biggest challenges facing the agency. The Biden administration ended family detention in 2021, choosing instead to release families on Alternatives to Detention. The Trump administration is turning that back on.

“The Biden administration cut down so many of our beds and they canceled so many contracts. And the problem with that is you can’t just immediately turn those back on. It’s not a switch, it’s a dial,” they said.

ICE has been talking with other agencies, including the State Department to expedite travel documents for deportable illegal immigrants. That’s in addition to a slew of new agreements by the Trump administration with other countries. Venezuela and Colombia have both announced they will accept back illegal immigrants.

That cooperation was on display on Wednesday when Guatemala has said it will accept migrants from other countries in what is known as a safe third country agreement.

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That announcement came shortly after both Mexico and Canada had announced new restrictions at their borders with the U.S. in response to the threat of U.S. tariffs.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 6, 2025
ICE arrests under President Trump continue in migrant ‘sanctuary’ cities

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President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration continues with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials making several criminal arrests over the last week in left-leaning “sanctuary” cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, Denver and Washington, D.C.

Philadelphia

ICE agents conducted a worksite enforcement operation at a car wash in Philadelphia that led to the arrest of seven illegal immigrants, six from Mexico and one from the Dominican Republic.

The operation took place at a Complete Autowash in North Philadelphia Jan. 28. It was prompted by reports that employees at the car wash were being subjected to labor exploitation.

After the arrests, Brian McShane, acting field office director for Philadelphia ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations, said “the successful execution of this worksite enforcement operation underscores our determined commitment to national security and public safety.

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SAYS HE WOULD ‘SEEK PROSECUTION’ IF NJ GOVERNOR SHELTERED ILLEGAL MIGRANT IN HOME

ICE Philadelphia arrests seven in worksite enforcement operation (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

“We were able to apprehend individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. These operations highlight the dedication and diligence of our officers and agents in protecting our communities from potential threats by enforcing immigration laws in accordance with U.S. laws and Department of Homeland Security policies.”

ICE Philadelphia also recently arrested Luis Gualdron-Gualdron, a suspected member of the Venezuelan migrant gang Tren de Aragua who has a criminal record that includes indecent assault of a person under 16 and harassment. ICE arrested Gualdron-Gualdron without incident despite the agency’s detainer against him being ignored by the Northampton County Prison.

ICE Philadelphia also removed a Mexican illegal immigrant, Raymundo Rojas Bacilio, who is wanted for rape in his home country. The office also removed Dominican national Yermanny Suarez Laureano, who is wanted in his home country for homicide.

Boston

Arrests have also continued in the Boston area, which has strong sanctuary policies in place limiting local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.

ICE SNAGS CRIMINAL ALIEN PAROLED 17 YEARS INTO LIFE SENTENCE FOR PREGNANT WOMAN’S MURDER

ICE Boston arrests a Salvadoran national Jan. 30, 2025, charged with sexually assaulting a Massachusetts resident. (ICE Boston)

In the last week, ICE announced the arrests of several illegal immigrants, including criminals charged with rape of a Massachusetts resident, sex crimes, murder and gang involvement.

One of the migrants, Salvadoran national Jose Garcia-Salmeron, 34, is charged with raping a Massachusetts resident. Despite being arraigned on rape charges by the Chelsea District Court, the court ignored an ICE detainer against Garcia-Salmeron and released him from custody in July 2024.

Another migrant, 37-year-old Haitian national Jean Yves Ovilme, is charged with assault and battery and indecent assault of a person 14 years or older. Another, Cesar Augusto Polanco, 59, has been convicted in a Massachusetts court of murder. He was serving a life sentence and is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Finally, another illegal immigrant, reputed Guatemalan MS-13 gang member Luis Adolfo Guerra-Perez, 19, was arrested by ICE Jan. 22. Guerra-Perez illegally entered the country and was released into the interior in 2021 and is charged with drug and weapons crimes.

DEM GOVERNOR BACKS ICE ARRESTING ‘CRIMINALS’ DESPITE VOWING TO USE ‘EVERY TOOL’ AGAINST TRUMP DEPORTATIONS

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended an illegally present Salvadoran national convicted of sexually assaulting a Virginia resident when officers with ICE Washington, D.C., arrested Nicolas Alberto Hernandez-Lopez, 46, Jan. 15, in Fairfax County, Va. (ICE Washington D.C.)

Washington, D.C.

ICE officials in Washington, D.C., arrested a Salvadoran illegal alien named Nicolas Alberto Hernandez-Lopez, 46, who is charged with sexually assaulting a Virginia resident.

Hernandez-Lopez was previously removed from the country in 2023, but he unlawfully reentered the country at an unknown date and location, according to an ICE statement. He is currently in ICE custody.

Patrick Divver, acting field office director for Washington, D.C., ICE enforcement and removal operations, said Hernandez-Lopez “illegally reentered the United States, and then victimized a resident of our Virginia community. This is not something that the officers of ICE Washington, D.C. will tolerate.

“We will continue our mission of arresting public safety threats and removing egregious alien offenders from our Washington, D.C., and Virginia neighborhoods.”

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Luis Fernando Melendez-Rivera, 27, an illegally present Mexican national wanted for aggravated homicide in Mexico, in Denver, Colo., Jan. 31. (ICE Denver)

Denver

ICE has also made several criminal arrests in Denver, whose Democratic mayor, Mike Johnston, has been among the most vocal opponents of Trump’s immigration crackdown in the country.

One of the illegal migrants arrested, Luz Maria Ramirez-Monreal, a Mexican national, is charged with child abuse, burglary, strangulation and kidnapping. Another Mexican national arrested includes 48-year-old Juan Benitez-Ortega, who is charged with felony assault and kidnapping.

A third illegal alien recently arrested by Denver ICE officials is Mexican national Luis Fernando Melendez-Rivera, 27, who is wanted for aggravated homicide in his home country. According to ICE, Melendez entered the country through the Denver International Airport in 2022.

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ICE and DEA migrant raids NYC (Drug Enforcement Administration New York)

Seattle

ICE officials in Seattle also arrested four criminal illegal aliens who have been either convicted or charged with crimes related to sexual assault.

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Pedro Garcia-Lopez, 47, a Mexican citizen, has been charged with theft, lewd acts with a child under 14 and sexual battery. Rubi Jeronimo Cruz, 22, a citizen of Guatemala, was convicted of DUI with reckless driving and charged with rape of a child. Manuel De Jesus Zavala-Martinez, 40, a citizen of El Salvador, has several criminal convictions, including assault with sexual motivation and assault with a deadly weapon. Lastly, Jaspal Singh, 29, a citizen of India, was charged with assault with sexual motivation.

“Protecting our communities and preventing further victimization is of paramount importance to ICE throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Drew Bostock, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle field office director. “These arrests reinforce the message that the presence of illegal criminal threats will not be tolerated.”

February 4, 2025
ICE scoops up illegal immigrants with murder, robbery convictions in weekend crackdown

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) racked up a number of arrests of convicted criminal illegal immigrants over the weekend, including those convicted of murder, robbery and domestic violence — continuing its efforts to deport as many public safety threats as it can.

Agents nabbed over 700 illegal immigrants over the weekend, including more than 500 with convictions or charges, according to information provided to Fox News Digital by a senior Trump administration official.

Among those arrested were Denicela Julia Mejia Thomas, a Honduran national, in San Antonio, Texas. She has a conviction of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to that information.

TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

This image shows Daniel de Jesus Lopez (top) and Julio Cesar Garcia-Soto (bottom), a citizen of Mexico, and an ICE raid. (Getty/ICE)

In Phoenix, Arizona, agents arrested Julio Cesar Garcia-Soto, a Mexican national with a murder conviction who was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Meanwhile, ICE Seattle arrested Daniel De Jesus Lopez, a citizen of Mexico with a conviction for robbery and delivery of methamphetamine, for which he was sentenced to 90 months in prison.

In Detroit, agents nabbed Charles Henry Pusey Mcnish, a Colombian national with a conviction for domestic violence and possession of cocaine.

ICE in Houston nabbed Rutillo Alvarado Carranza, a Honduran national convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and who was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

ICE and DEA migrant raids NYC (Drug Enforcement Administration New York)

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, there was a large-scale enforcement operation at several locations targeting those committing fraud via unauthorized cash withdrawals from victims’ EBT cards. ICE nabbed nine nationals from Romania and France, three who have extensive histories and one who has an arrest in Romania for murder.

The arrests come after thousands of arrests throughout the country since the Trump administration took office in January. Trump promised to launch a “historic” mass deportation operation. Officials have said they are prioritizing public safety threats but are also not excluding illegal immigrants who do not have criminal convictions or charges.

COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URGES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN US TO RETURN HOME DAYS AFTER DIPLOMATIC SPAT

The administration has lifted a number of Biden-era restrictions on ICE agents, including limits on their ability to enter “sensitive” areas like churches or schools.

COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT URGES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN US TO RETURN HOME DAYS AFTER DIPLOMATIC SPAT

On Monday, Fox News Digital reported that the administration has ended Temporary Protected Status — which protects migrants from certain nations from deportation — for over 300,000 deportations. The Biden administration had extended TPS for a number of nationalities before leaving office, a move that makes it harder for ICE to deport them.

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The move came after President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela had agreed to take back its illegal immigrants.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 3, 2025
NJ Dem gubernatorial candidates vow to impede ICE pursuit of illegal aliens

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New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidates vowed to help illegal immigrants avoid President Donald Trump’s ICE raids during the Garden State’s first primary debate of the year.

Five out of six candidates raised their hands when Joey Fox, New Jersey Globe political reporter and debate moderator, asked the Democrats on stage if they “believe that one of the goals of the next governor should be protecting immigrants in New Jersey, even those who are here illegally.”

Rep. Mikie Sherrill did not raise her hand, instead responding, “We should protect people in New Jersey, especially with the Constitution.”

NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR HOUSES MIGRANT AT HIS HOUSE, TELLS FEDS ‘GOOD LUCK’ TRYING TO GET HER

ICE agents arrested seven illegal immigrants during a workforce operation raid. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

The question sparked less of a debate and more of a united front as candidates vowed to stand up to Trump, committed to comprehensive immigration reform, and vowed to prioritize humanity in the deportation process.

TRUMP SIGNS LAKEN RILEY ACT INTO LAW AS FIRST LEGISLATIVE VICTORY IN NEW ADMINISTRATION

President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

However, candidates found shakier ground when discussing the Laken Riley Act, the first bill Trump signed into law during his second term that detains illegal immigrants who are accused of committing dangerous crimes.

“If you are a murderer, a criminal, a rapist, if you’re breaking into people’s homes in the middle of the night with a gun while the kids are sleeping, and you’re undocumented, you shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be in the state, you shouldn’t be in this country.” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who voted in support of the Laken Riley Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Despite Gottheimer’s support for the act, he was careful to distinguish “innocent undocumented people” from those who commit violent crimes. “When I’m governor, I’m going to use the full force of the state to stop” Trump from rounding up “innocent undocumented people” at restaurants, churches and schools, the congressman clarified.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer speaks after the Democratic gubernatorial debate at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, on Feb. 2, 2025. (AP/Mike Catalini)

The Trump administration doesn’t recognize such a distinction. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last Tuesday that anyone in the United States illegally is considered a criminal.

“They illegally broke our nation’s laws, and, therefore, they are criminals, as far as this administration goes,” Leavitt said in a now viral moment. “I know the last administration didn’t see it that way, so it’s a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal. But that’s exactly what they are.”

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop didn’t share Gottheimer’s support for the Laken Riley Act, calling it “dangerous.”

“The Laken Riley Act served to undermine the authority of the attorney general here in New Jersey,” Fulop said. “It is a very dangerous piece of legislation as it relates to autonomy of the governor and the attorney general here, and it should not have been supported.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks after the Democratic debate in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, on Feb. 2, 2025. (AP photo/Mike Catalini)

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a vocal opponent of the ICE raids authorized in his city during Trump’s first week in office, took opposition to the bill a step further.

“You can’t say you support immigrants in New Jersey but vote for the Laken Riley Act,” Baraka said. “We need to stop having this conversation about people being murderers and killers and rapists and criminals. We know that’s a lie. There is no crime wave of immigrants in New Jersey.”

Baraka went as far as to say Trump’s political agenda is rooted in “White supremacy and racism.”

“It’s interesting that we keep saying that people are here illegally when we keep moving the goalpost,” Baraka said. “If we take away all of the pathways that people become documented citizens of the United States and then say they’re illegal, it’s a problem. We cannot risk the Fourth and 14th Amendment to push this political agenda that Donald Trump has really based in White supremacy and racism.”

“It is wrong to sit up here and have a debate about crime that immigrants create which we know is not true. The crime is making sure people don’t have access to the American dream because of what they look like, the country they came from, the language that they speak, and the zip code that they live in. We know that’s what’s happening, and we have to stop it now,” Baraka continued.

Officers from Border Patrol and the FBI conduct immigration enforcement in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (FBI)

Former New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney said New Jersey should stand up to Trump’s deportations, emphasizing the lack of legal search warrants in these ICE raids. However, Sweeney agreed that someone with a criminal record who enters the United States or “someone that breaks the law in this country shouldn’t be in this country,” calling it a “privilege.”

“With Donald Trump, we all should stand and oppose what Donald Trump’s doing. He’s breaking the law. He’s doing it illegally. He’s doing it without legal search warrants. It’s horrible what he’s doing.” Sweeney said.

“I support what President Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden did. Both of those presidents happen to be Democrats who deported more people than Donald Trump ever did, but they did it with humanity and compassion and they did it the right way. We don’t want to round up people that haven’t done anything wrong, but people that broke the law in this country, I’m sorry they need to leave it… They’re breaking the laws, and we should hold them accountable,” Sweeney added.

Former state Senate President Steve Sweeney speaks after the Democratic debate on Feb. 2, 2025. (AP photo/Mike Catalini)

New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller echoed Sweeney’s distaste for Trump’s inhumane deportations, telling New Jerseyans they should be scared.

“They’re coming for all of us, and that should scare every single one of us. That’s unacceptable. That’s what we stand up and fight back against,” Spiller said.

Despite taking a hard line against President Trump, the Democratic candidates recognized immigration reform as a necessity.

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“I think that what’s missing in the conversation so many times is basic humanity,” Sherrill said. “We desperately need comprehensive immigration reform. We need to make sure people have a pathway to citizenship who are here, who are working hard, who are paying taxes, DACA recipients, TPS recipients. We also need better border security. We need to know what’s coming across our border.”

February 3, 2025