Healey to ICE: ‘We need answers’ 

Top Massachusetts officials are denouncing the sweeping arrests made by federal authorities on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. 

During a press conference Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey criticized the recent operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that saw the arrest of some 40 individuals, 20 from Martha’s Vineyard.

She highlighted that of the 40 arrested, only two have been cited as having “alleged criminal records.” 

“This is part of the problem we’re seeing with ICE across the country and certainty here in Massachusetts,” Healey said. “People are being picked up. We have no information about their circumstances. There have been real questions raised about due process and whether or not ICE and immigration officials are following, complying with due process here and in other states.” 

Massachusetts officials have expressed concern and frustration over how federal authorities made widespread arrests on the Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. On the Vineyard, faith leaders have also decried the recent arrests led by ICE. 

Healey said there’s “zero information” at the state and local levels, underscoring that “we need answers” from ICE.

State Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents the Vineyard in Boston, highlighted that ICE has had “little or no coordination” with local law enforcement for its operations. 

“The feds are pretty insistent on keeping us in the dark about this,” Cyr said. 

State lawmakers said they were in favor of federal law enforcement making targeted efforts to detain those with criminal records. However, the broad stroke method taken by ICE — stopping work vehicles for questioning before making arrests — was criticized by both Healey and Cyr. 

“It’s concerning to see moms and dads being ripped away from families, neighbors, you know, coworkers taken away literally, it looks like, on the way to job sites in Nantucket and on the Vineyard,” Healey said.

Cyr highlighted that while ICE has conducted arrests on the Vineyard before, those were targeted operations against those with criminal records, not a “broader campaign to instill fear” and “to terrorize immigrants on the Island.” 

The recent arrests made by immigration officials also raised questions of whether due process was being followed, a right that is also extended to undocumented immigrants. 

“This kind of sweeping action has serious consequences,” Cyr said. “It has left families in fear, disrupted businesses of all kinds, and sent a chilling message to many residents who have lived, worked, and contributed to Island life for years. While federal officials continue to cite the arrest of two individuals with criminal histories, that does not justify these broad, indiscriminate tactics with little regard for due process. These actions reflect a  troubling nationwide political agenda on immigration enforcement — one that prioritizes fear over fairness.” 

Cyr also underscored that immigrant Islanders “fill critical roles that sustain our local economies” and it was “shameful” to see them being targeted. 

“Immigrants serve and cook your food, clean your beds, mow your lawns, take out your trash, and so much more,” Cyr’s post reads. “Most are here through employer sponsored visa programs, some are undocumented. I will be closely engaging with islanders to better understand what occurred and how we can support the families, neighbors, and businesses impacted.”

Meanwhile, Congressman Bill Keating, who represents the Vineyard in the U.S. House of Representatives, encouraged impacted immigrant families to reach out to his office. In a statement, he said that a “congressional inquiry can be submitted to ICE to ensure due process is followed and not, once again, thrown to the wayside.”