By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-15 17:56:54 | Updated at 2026-09-15 18:39:41
1 hour ago
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Boston division has arrested 118 illegal immigrants from southern Connecticut in a four-day operation.
The operation aimed to arrest criminal illegal immigrants, “many of whom were recently released from jail by sanctuary politicians who refused to honor ICE’s immigration detainers,” the agency said in a Sept. 11 statement.
An immigration detainer is a request sent by ICE to local, state, or federal enforcement agencies to notify them before releasing a removable immigrant or to hold the immigrant for up to 48 hours beyond the scheduled release time so that DHS has enough time to take custody of the individual.
The operation was carried out in late August. Arrested individuals have been charged with crimes such as sexual assault against a child, drug dealing, assault, and child abuse, the statement said.
ICE arrested a Honduran criminal illegal immigrant who was convicted of sexual assault risking injury to a child, a criminal illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic convicted of selling drugs, and an Ecuadorian with pending criminal charges for crimes such as assault and criminal trespass.
“Sanctuary politicians in Connecticut have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens … than protect law-abiding American citizens,” acting ICE Boston Field Office Director David T. Wesling said in the statement.
“While these politicians continue their performative and misguided attempts to obstruct our enforcement through absurd legislation such as the TRUST Act, ERO Boston will continue to protect Connecticut communities from these dangerous criminals,” Wesling said.
ERO refers to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The Trust Act sets rules for how law enforcement in Connecticut cooperates and works with ICE.
Under the Act, state law enforcement officers are prohibited from detaining or arresting people based on an immigration detainer, except under certain circumstances, such as the detainer being accompanied by a warrant that is signed or issued by a judicial officer.
Another provision in the Act bans law enforcement officers from allowing federal immigration authorities to interview an individual in local custody, barring a few exceptions.
DOJ Lawsuit
Previously, on April 13, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had announced that it filed a lawsuit against Connecticut and the City of New Haven over sanctuary policies.
The complaint targeted Connecticut’s Trust Act, as well as other rules at the state and local levels.
The department argued that these policies are illegal under federal law and have enabled the release of dangerous criminals into local communities.
In an April 17 post on Facebook, the office of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said that the state would “vigorously” defend its immigration laws.
“Our Trust Act is consistent with the Constitution and reflects a clear principle: the federal government cannot compel states to use their own resources to carry out federal enforcement responsibilities,” the post said.
The operation in Connecticut is one of the latest actions taken by the Trump administration in its crackdown against criminal illegal immigrants in the United States.
ICE announced on Sept. 9 the arrests of 500 illegal immigrants in Florida, including criminals with a history of drug offenses, assault, domestic violence, and other sex and violent crimes.
Earlier on Sept. 1, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
announcedthe arrests of almost 2,200 illegal immigrants during an enforcement operation in New York that was conducted between July 27 and Aug. 29.
Arrested individuals included rapists, drug traffickers, violent assailants, and pedophiles, the department said.
Meanwhile, ICE set a record in August for the highest number of illegal immigrants arrested in a single month, the DHS said in a Sept. 2 statement.
In total, ICE arrested 50,925 illegal immigrants nationwide in August, breaking the previous record of 50,208 arrests made in July. This was the third straight month that ICE set a record for arrest numbers.
“This is promises made and promises kept in action. Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE is working around the clock every day to arrest and deport illegal aliens from American communities,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the statement.
