Boston is bracing for a flood of federal immigration agents after Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons vowed to increase operations in the city, warning that sanctuary policies are putting communities at risk.
Speaking on The Howie Carr Show Wednesday, Lyons said the agency will dramatically step up enforcement in Massachusetts.
“We’re definitely going to, as you’ve heard the saying, flood the zone, especially in sanctuary jurisdictions,” he told the host.
According to Lyons, Boston and the state’s decision to cling to sanctuary rules doesn’t bring peace of mind.
Instead, he argued, it allows dangerous criminals to stay in neighborhoods rather than face deportation.
“Sanctuary does not mean safer streets. It means more criminal aliens out and about the neighborhood,” he explained, pledging that residents would “100 percent” see a much stronger ICE presence in the city.
Lyons cited a prior operation, dubbed “Patriot March,” which resulted in over a thousand arrests.
He said the same kind of aggressive push will soon be underway in Boston. “We’re going to keep making America safe,” he added.
The move comes after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu held a rally blasting the Trump administration for threatening to cut funding if the city refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Wu accused Washington of using intimidation to force local leaders into compliance.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signals she will not cooperate with ICE deportations of illegal aliens and refers to it as “oppression.”
— America (@america) August 19, 2025
According to Wu, Boston recently received a letter from the Department of Justice warning that city officials could face prosecution and lose federal funding unless they assist in mass deportations.
Calling the tactics “serious,” she declared that remaining silent was not an option.
“Silence in the face of oppression is not an option!” Wu shouted to supporters.
The mayor said she was ordered to provide DOJ with a response by Tuesday.
Her reply, however, was filled with scathing criticism aimed directly at the administration.
“Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration’s failures. Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law,” Wu said. “Boston will not back down from who we are and what we stand for.”
Her pushback followed letters sent by Attorney General Pam Bondi to 32 so-called sanctuary jurisdictions across the country.
Those notices warned that local governments would lose federal dollars or face lawsuits unless they complied with Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“For too long, so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies have undermined this necessary cooperation and obstructed federal immigration enforcement, giving aliens cover to perpetrate crimes in our communities and evade the immigration consequences that federal law requires,” Bondi wrote.
Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court.
Today @TheJusticeDept delivered demand letters to sanctuary cities, counties, and states — a key step in our strategic effort to eradicate… pic.twitter.com/aKWNCY4hJN
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 14, 2025
Wu’s official response painted Boston as a city that already works closely with federal partners on public safety.
“Our City’s longstanding and productive partnership with state and federal law enforcement to protect the people of Boston far predates your tenure,” she said, pointing to cooperation on counterterrorism, harbor and airport protection, and the fight against drug and human trafficking.
The mayor accused the Trump administration of using “false and continuous attacks on American cities” as a political weapon.
“Boston will never back down from being a beacon of freedom, and a home for everyone,” Wu concluded.
But federal officials aren’t buying her defense. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said Wu’s refusal to help deport illegal immigrants is reckless.
"The lives of Americans is no joking matter. These sanctuary city politicians, like Mayor Wu out of Boston, are playing Russian roulette with the American public’s lives."
If sanctuary city politicians refuse to enforce the law, DHS will FLOOD THE ZONE with ICE law enforcement… pic.twitter.com/wP4Cgt1VHt
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 19, 2025
“The lives of Americans is no joking matter,” McLaughlin said. “These sanctuary city politicians, like Mayor Wu out of Boston, are playing Russian roulette with the American public’s lives.”
“In the last two weeks, we arrested out of Boston child rapists … the worst of the worst criminals, and we’re going to continue to do so,” she noted.
McLaughlin said the DHS is doubling down, promising to send even more officers into sanctuary jurisdictions.
She also noted that ICE is in the middle of hiring an additional 10,000 agents thanks to a massive increase in funding.
Patricia Hyde, Boston’s acting ICE field office director, echoed those concerns in an interview on Fox News.
She argued that Wu’s policies create a dangerous situation for everyone.
“Sanctuary policies don’t make anyone safer, they don’t make the community safer,” Hyde said.
Hyde pointed out that ICE officers have sworn an oath to protect the public, unlike politicians who choose to obstruct enforcement.
“I know what a safe Boston looks like, and this isn’t it,” she said. “This is a public safety crisis.”
Despite mounting pressure from Washington, Wu has shown no signs of backing down.
She posted on Bluesky Thursday morning that her oath was sworn on a historic Bible, stressing her commitment to upholding the Constitution.
She later spoke publicly, again promising to resist federal action. “We will not back down,” Wu told reporters. “This is not the first time I’ve made it clear that our residents expect us to take care of our city.”
“We know how to take care of our neighbors here in Boston without the interference, coersion, intimidation, bullying or threats from the federal government,” she added.
Wu should be arrested and definitely prosecuted for aiding and the abetting federal criminals. The degree of criminality does not matter. Where should the line be drawn? Suppose these criminals were terrorists against our country. Suppose they attacked our infrastructure and killed millions. maybe they are not that bad and will only rape., rob snd steal on a small scale. It does not matter.Wu is aidingi snd abetting criminality in our nation.