Immigration & Custom Enforcement announced today it arrested nearly 15-hundred people in Massachusetts last month as part of "Operation Patriot."
According to ICE, more than half of those taken into custody have criminal convictions or charges.
The agency said 277 were previously ordered out of the U.S., but remained illegally.
There were about 800 offenders charged with or convicted of crimes in the U.S. or in other countries.
“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a safer place today thanks to the hard work and determination of the men and women of ICE and our federal partners. Working together, we were able to arrest almost 1,500 illegal aliens throughout the Commonwealth, most of whom had significant criminality in the United States or abroad,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “Make no mistake: Every person that we arrested was breaking our immigration laws, but most of these individuals had significant criminality. They are criminal offenders who victimized innocent people and traumatized entire communities — murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, child sex predators and members of violent transnational criminal gangs. Some were convicted of violent crimes in the United States, and others were wanted for criminality in their native countries. All made the mistake of attempting to subvert justice by hiding out in Massachusetts.”
Those in ICE custody will remain held pending the outcome of their removal proceedings or deportation.
(Photo: Immigration and Customs Enforcement)