Massachusetts governor calls Trump Patriot 2.0 ICE action ‘political theater’

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) on Sunday called the Trump administration’s “Patriot 2.0” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action in her state “political theater” and a “power grab.”

“Look, I’ll say this, I’m a former prosecutor. I’m a former attorney general. I’ve said many, many times, including to the Trump administration, that I support, as attorney general and now as governor, everything we can do on public safety,” Healey said on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”

“But what we have seen from ICE and from the administration really isn’t about public safety, it’s about political theater. It’s about a political power grab and an attempt to intimidate,” she added.

In a statement to The Hill, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said that “ICE launched ‘Patriot 2.0’ to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May.”

“Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens,” the spokesperson added, referencing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who is a Democrat. 

“ICE is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities,” the spokesperson said.

In the first few months of President Trump’s second term, the president and his administration have cracked down heavily on immigration. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem last month said the U.S. had 1.6 million fewer undocumented immigrants since the beginning of the Trump administration, a claim that came from information from a restrictionist immigration group that said their estimate may be overstated.

The Justice Department on Thursday sued Boston and Wu over to the city’s sanctuary law, stating it is illegal and releases dangerous criminals who should be deported.