Boston Resists ICE Enforcement Amid 2025 DHS Patriot 2.0 Operation
Boston is actively resisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement actions amid the broader DHS Patriot 2.0 operation in 2025. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported 1,400 arrests from September 4 to 30, including 600 alleged violent criminals, and has hired nearly 10,000 ICE officers this year.
In Boston, ICE raids have taken place at traffic stops, supermarkets, courthouses, and other locations. A notable incident occurred in September at an Allston car wash where nine workers from El Salvador and Guatemala were detained. Some of these workers had valid work papers, none had criminal records, and workers reported being shackled during the raid.
One high-profile case involved Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old Babson College freshman, who was arrested at Logan Airport on November 20 and deported to Honduras within 48 hours. Lucia had left Honduras at age seven seeking asylum.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has expressed support for immigrants facing ICE actions. Green-card holders who were wrongfully arrested have filed lawsuits. The LUCE immigrant-justice network, launched in March, has become a critical support system, handling about 150 hotline calls daily with approximately 4,000 volunteers. It provides housing, transportation, and groceries in multiple languages.
The Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund offers financial support ranging from $2,000 to $20,000 for detainees, and donations for the Allston nine workers have surpassed $70,000. In response to surveillance concerns, Cambridge, MA, has severed ties with contractor Flock Safety after the installation of automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras without permission was revealed, following a pause on that scheme.
Symbolic actions have highlighted resistance efforts: St Susanna Church in Dedham replaced its nativity scene with an empty cradle and a sign reading 'ICE WAS HERE,' which sparked clashes with the archdiocese and brought attention to LUCE's role. On December 4, about 21 immigrants were turned away from naturalisation ceremonies at Boston's Faneuil Hall due to a federal pause on admissions from 19 high-risk countries after a shooting by an Afghan national in Washington, DC.
Further activism took place on December 16 when activists in colonial costumes organized an 'ICE Tea Party' at the waterfront, dumping 342 pounds of ice into the sea to mark the Boston Tea Party anniversary. The event was organized by Mass50501 and Boston Indivisible, with Nikki May delivering a speech linking historical and current struggles over control and oppression.
