Federal immigration agents mounted a coordinated operation across Greater Boston on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, detaining multiple people as part of “Operation Patriot 2.0.” One high-profile arrest in Everett followed an early-morning deployment from Chelsea; officials say the effort is a multi‑agency surge targeting noncitizens with criminal histories and immigration violations.
Key takeaways
- Operation Patriot 2.0 began in the region on Sept. 4 and expanded through Sept. 6, with more than 100 reported arrests since the start of the operation.
- ICE reported roughly 20 arrests by 11 a.m. on Saturday and said teams were operating in Everett, Chelsea, Revere, Lowell, Fall River, Springfield, Brockton and Framingham.
- Agents detained 42‑year‑old Brazilian national Ageu Del Almeida Freitas in Everett; ICE says he overstayed a visa and faces a pending charge for violating a protection-from-abuse order.
- The operation includes personnel from multiple states and assistance from DOJ, ATF, DEA and Diplomatic Security, according to ICE officials.
- Federal leaders framed the surge as a response to local policies that limit cooperation with ICE—most notably Boston’s Trust Act—and the Trump administration has filed suit challenging the city’s law.
- Local activists and community groups organized to alert residents when ICE teams were operating in neighborhoods, leading to tense encounters during some arrests.
Verified facts
According to ICE, Operation Patriot 2.0 began with deployments earlier in the week and intensified on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Boston field office staff said agents from Texas, California and Washington were among those temporarily reassigned to the region. ICE reported the tally of arrests since the operation started at just over 100 by mid‑day Saturday, following about 88 arrests before that morning.
The Herald accompanied ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston on a Saturday morning deployment that started before dawn. Reporters witnessed the arrest of Ageu Del Almeida Freitas in Everett around 10:15 a.m.; ICE said local authorities did not honor an immigration detainer in his case. ICE further stated he has a pending charge for violating a protection‑from‑abuse order and overstayed his visa. Local records cited in media reporting show prior allegations including two violations of an abuse prevention order and a dismissed destruction‑of‑property charge.
ICE officials said the operation targeted individuals with criminal histories or active investigations. The agency noted arrests in Brockton (a 39‑year‑old from Cape Verde allegedly overstayed a visa after a local assault charge) and Framingham (a 31‑year‑old Brazilian detained for illegal entry after a family/household assault charge), among others.
Federal partners listed by ICE include the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Diplomatic Security. Local accounts described activists and volunteers—identified by officials as members of groups like Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts—patrolling neighborhoods to warn residents when agents were working nearby.
Context & impact
The surge follows a pattern of intensified enforcement earlier in 2025: ICE said a month-long operation in May resulted in 1,461 arrests across Massachusetts, including 790 people charged with or convicted of crimes. In March, a separate week-long effort produced 370 arrests, with ICE reporting 205 individuals had significant criminal convictions or charges.
Federal officials framed the current activity as a response to city and state policies limiting cooperation with civil immigration detainers. Boston’s Trust Act, enacted in 2014, restricts local agencies from holding people solely on ICE detainers. A 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling also limits the use of detainers, ruling that authorities cannot hold noncitizens more than 48 hours beyond release solely on a civil detainer request.
Municipal leaders in Boston have characterized the administration’s legal challenge to the Trust Act as an overreach and defended the city’s approach to immigrant public safety and due process. Community groups argue that advance notices and neighborhood alerts help people avoid arrest and protect families, while ICE says such warnings can complicate operations and increase risk to officers.
Official statements
“Our officers aren’t stopping until we get every criminal illegal alien here in Massachusetts. There is no target number other than all.”
David Wesling, Deputy Director, ICE ERO Boston
Unconfirmed
- Claims that activist alerts directly caused specific arrests to fail or made every encounter materially more dangerous are assertions from ICE that have not been independently verified in all reported incidents.
- Some individuals arrested during the operation have prior charges that were either dismissed or remain pending; the long‑term immigration outcomes for those cases were not confirmed at press time.
Bottom line
Operation Patriot 2.0 represents a concerted, multi‑agency enforcement push by ICE across Greater Boston that has produced more than 100 reported arrests since Sept. 4, 2025. The deployment has intensified federal‑local tensions over sanctuary‑style policies and is likely to prompt further legal and political clashes as court challenges and community responses continue.