ICE arrests 40 in raids on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts vacation havens
An immigration raid on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on Tuesday resulted in 40 arrests, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE said that the people arrested on the Massachusetts islands included a gang member and a sex offender.
"Officers with ICE Boston and agents with FBI Boston, DEA New England and ATF Boston arrested around 40 alien offenders on the two islands, many of whom had U.S. criminality including a documented member of the notorious MS-13 street gang and at least one child sex offender," ICE said in a statement.
The U.S. Coast Guard provided boats to transport those arrested off the islands.
Reaction to ICE raid on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
Carla Zenis, who arrived in Nantucket from Chile in 2004, told The Nantucket Current that immigrants on the island are "extremely afraid."
"They are in a panic," Zenis said. "They don't know what to expect for tomorrow and the other days to come."
Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr said in a statement that "the operation appears to have gone far beyond any targeted effort." He said work vans were pulled over on both islands and people, "were questioned without clear cause."
"While federal officials continue to cite the arrest of two individuals with criminal histories, that does not justify these broad, indiscriminate tactics with little regard for due process," Cyr said.
The raids come just as the islands enter the busy summer season.
"It's shameful to see immigrant islanders - who fill critical roles that sustain our local economies - be targeted," Cyr said. "If you enjoy Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, or Cape Cod, especially in the summer, please remember that it is largely immigrants who make your vacation possible."
Multiple Massachusetts communities have seen ICE raids since President Trump took office in January. "Border czar" Tom Homan announced the arrest of 370 people in the state when he traveled to Boston in March. Earlier this month in Worcester, a large crowd tried to stop ICE agents from taking a woman into custody.
