Boston is channelling a historic "spirit of rebellion" as it mounts a concerted resistance against a severe immigration crackdown by US federal agents. The city, known for its sanctuary policies, is witnessing masked officers in unmarked vehicles conducting raids at traffic stops, supermarkets, and courthouses, creating an atmosphere of fear within immigrant communities.
Personal Tragedies Amidst Systemic Crackdown
The human cost of the enforcement is stark. Any Lucia López Belloza, a 19-year-old scholarship student at Babson College, was detained at Boston's Logan Airport on 20 November while attempting to fly home for Thanksgiving. Within 48 hours, she was deported to Honduras in waist, ankle, and wrist chains, a country she hadn't seen since seeking asylum at age seven.
An Ecuadorian couple in Boston, victims of human trafficking, have been arrested twice in four months. The mother was held for over two months in the summer, and her husband was taken on 9 December and remains detained in Plymouth. Their seven-year-old daughter is now suffering from anxiety and refusing to attend school.
These actions are part of "Patriot 2.0," a Homeland Security operation that began in September. ICE claims it arrested 1,400 "illegal aliens" in September alone, including 600 individuals accused of serious crimes. However, scepticism abounds after incidents like the raid on an Allston car wash, where nine workers from El Salvador and Guatemala with no criminal records were taken, missing for five days.
Organised Resistance and Community Response
In response, Boston is fighting back with organised, grassroots efforts. Mayor Michelle Wu has repeatedly defended the city's immigrants and demanded transparency from federal agencies. Legal defence funds are offering financial assistance to detainees, and the community raised over $70,000 for the "Allston nine."
A key tool is the LUCE hotline, a multilingual network run by 14 organisations including the Asian American Resource Workshop and the Muslim Justice League. Launched in March, it now fields 150 calls daily from people reporting ICE sightings and trains thousands of volunteers on immigrant rights.
Creative protests have also emerged. The Catholic church of St Susanna in Dedham replaced its traditional nativity scene with an empty cradle and a sign reading "ICE WAS HERE." On 16 December, activists marked the 252nd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party with an "ICE Tea Party," dumping 342 pounds of ice into the harbour in a symbolic act of defiance.
A City Divided and Determined
The crackdown follows Mayor Wu's congressional testimony in March about Boston's sanctuary laws, which limit local cooperation with ICE. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons vowed to "flood" the city, and the agency announced hiring nearly 10,000 new officers in 2025.
Yet, the city's resolve appears strengthened. As one organiser noted, the resistance is about people showing up for their community and saying, "hands off my neighbour." With fear and determination running high, Boston's modern rebellion against federal immigration policy shows no sign of abating as the year draws to a close.
