Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey found the operations by federal immigration officials on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard “disturbing,” despite the arrests of more than three dozen illegal migrants.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported about 40 apprehensions in the May 27 operation on the elite coastal enclaves, including a documented MS-13 gang member and at least one child sex offender. ICE partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Coast Guard in the operation.
#FBI Boston @ATFBoston @DEANewEnglandDivision @USCGNortheast & @EROBoston conducted immigration enforcement operations on Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard, arresting about 40 illegal alien offenders including an MS-13 gang member & alleged child sex offender. https://t.co/Uz9CWUBzPl pic.twitter.com/9ncDbLoAlq
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) May 28, 2025
When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent a few illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022, the residents called in the National Guard to have them quickly removed from the island, where homes sell for over $2 million. Now, the state’s Democratic governor is having a meltdown over the immigration activities and is demanding “answers.”
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde applauded how “ICE officers and FBI, DEA, and ATF agents worked together to arrest a significant number of illegal alien offenders, which included at least one child predator.”
Remember when DeSantis sent a few dozen illegal aliens to Martha’s Vineyard and they mobilized the National Guard to remove them within 48 hours?
Well ICE just raided Nantucket Island and arrested a bunch of illegal aliens
It seems Democrats only want illegals around when they… pic.twitter.com/wlvTqAIEBF
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) May 27, 2025
“Our partners in the U.S. Coast Guard facilitated a safe and efficient transport of the alien offenders off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, ensuring the safety of the residents of those communities. ICE and our federal partners made a strong stand for prioritizing public safety by arresting and removing illegal aliens from our New England neighborhoods,” Hyde added in a statement.
(Video Credit: Boston 25 News)
But Healey was evidently not happy about public safety measures, saying that “it was very disturbing, needless to say, to wake up to that news about that activity on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.”
“Local police chiefs have zero information about what’s happening in their communities. We at the state level have zero information about what’s happening in communities. And that needs to change. We need to get answers. We need to get clarification from ICE,” she said, according to the Boston Herald.
“It’s one thing to go after and target those who have committed crimes, who are here unlawfully,” said Healey. “It’s concerning when we see people, moms and dads, being ripped away from families. Neighbors, coworkers taken away, literally it looks like, on the way to job sites in Nantucket and on the Vineyard.”
Tricia McLaughlin, the Trump administration’s DHS Assistant Secretary, set the record straight, telling Fox News Digital that “ICE did notify local authorities about the enforcement operations.”
“Before the Governor criticizes our brave law enforcement, she should get her facts straight—apparently, she is the one with ‘zero information,’” McLaughlin said.
“What we find ‘disturbing’ and ‘concerning’ is politicians like Massachusetts Gov. Healey fighting to protect criminal illegal aliens,” she added. “Our ICE officers will continue putting their lives and safety on the line to arrest murderers, kidnappers, and pedophiles that were let into our country by the Biden administration’s open border policies.”
Jon Fetherston, a former migrant-shelter director in the state ripped into Healey, telling Fox News Digital that “it’s deeply troubling that Governor Healey finds the arrests of nearly 40 undocumented individuals on Cape Cod ‘disturbing,’ yet continues to refuse cooperation with federal agencies like ICE and ERO Boston—even when those agencies are targeting individuals with known criminal records.”
He added that “the majority of the public— including right here in Massachusetts — supports the work of Tom Homan, ICE, and ERO because they understand that public safety must come first, regardless of political affiliation.”
“Even in one of the bluest states in the country, people expect their leaders to prioritize their safety over partisan agendas,” Fetherston said. “The real concern here should be the safety of our communities, not political optics.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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