While the backlash over so-called “sanctuary city” policies has largely centered on New York and California, Massachusetts is quickly establishing itself as a leader in sanctuary city insanity.
According to a recent report from Fox News’ Bill Melugin, in just the past few months at least five illegal aliens charged with serious crimes – including child rape – are “repeatedly being released from jail with ridiculously low bail” in Massachusetts.
That list includes a Guatemalan charged with three counts of aggravated child rape released on $7,500 bail; another Guatemalan charged with aggravated child rape of a victim nine years old or younger also released on $7,500 bail; a Honduran charged with assault, rape, and masked armed robbery released on his own recognizance with $0 bail; two illegal alien inmates in Worcester County charged with child rape who received $500 bail; and another Honduran charged with fentanyl trafficking and released on $4,000 bail.
For at least three of those individuals, local authorities ignored detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – intentionally protecting the criminal illegal aliens from deportation.
Massachusetts has become notorious for such cases. Juan Alberto Rodezno-Marin, a Honduran charged on March 9, 2023, with indecent assault, masked armed robbery, and assault to rape, had been deported three times (2007, 2008, 2009) before re-entering the country illegally under the Biden administration. ICE issued a detainer request on December 20, 2022, but the Middlesex Superior Court released him on December 4, 2024, with no bail and on his own recognizance, ignoring the request. ICE finally apprehended him on January 22, 2025.
While Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has claimed that her state is “not a sanctuary state,” she has leaned on a 2017 state supreme court decision to justify not honoring ICE detainer requests. According to that ruling, Lunn v. Commonwealth, “Massachusetts law provides no authority for court officers to arrest and hold an individual because of a federal immigration detainer.”
Though no uniform definition exists, sanctuary cities are those that refuse to work with ICE in removing illegal immigrants, even if they are serious offenders. A 2017 report by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center tallied 39 cities and 364 counties with such limits.
These jurisdictions offer illegal aliens driver’s licenses, economic subsidies, and in some cases even local voting rights. “Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals,” Trump border czar Tom Homan declared on Fox News last November, vowing, “If they don’t help us, get out of the way because we’re coming.”
One city that has openly declared itself a sanctuary for illegal aliens is Boston, where Mayor Michelle Wu has been a particularly vocal supporter of efforts to thwart federal immigration authorities. Boston’s 2014 Trust Act bars police from assisting ICE without a judicial warrant.
“You belong here… Boston doesn’t back down,” Wu said recently following criticism over her refusal to work with ICE. Wu was one of several blue-city mayors who testified before the House Oversight Committee on their cities’ sanctuary policies earlier this year, where she reiterated her refusal to work with ICE even to deport heinous criminals like child sex predators.
Wu isn’t the only Boston official who has worked to undermine deportation efforts. Michael Cox, the city’s Democrat-appointed Police Commissioner, has also promised resistance to the Trump administration, saying that his officers “don’t have authority to enforce federal immigration law.”
However, despite these efforts to protect criminal illegal aliens, ICE has reportedly identified and arrested at least 370 illegal aliens in the Boston area, most of whom had significant criminal records – making good on Homan’s promise issued at CPAC earlier this year.
“I read a story last night, the police commissioner of Boston, you said you’d double down on not helping the law enforcement officers of ICE,” Homan said at the time. “I’m coming to Boston. I’m bringing hell with me. I looked at the numbers this morning; I stopped counting at nine. Nine child rapists that were in jail in Massachusetts, but rather than honoring an ICE detainer, they were released back into the street. You’re not a police commissioner; take that badge off your chest, put it in the desk drawer.”
According to Homan, at least four of those arrested near Boston were wanted for murder.
In the 50 days following Trump’s inauguration, ICE arrested 33,242 illegal immigrants. According to Department of Homeland Security data, 75 percent (24,091) of these individuals had criminal records, including thousands of convictions for drug trafficking and murder.
ICE data from July 2024 also shows more than 662,000 noncitizens on its docket had criminal histories, including 435,719 who had been convicted of a crime. Yet sanctuary jurisdictions declined or ignored 23,591 detainer requests from 2020–2024, repeatedly releasing convicted felons back onto American streets.
Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.
I guess that the state of MA will continue to have all sorts of hideous crimes until the people wake up and vote the Liberals out that are destroying their state with stupid laws. Until their corruptness subsides, I won’t be visiting the state any time soon.
All Federal funding needs to be halted to Massachusetts. I was born there, and I am appalled at their behavior. Putting Criminal illegals ahead of American citizens is criminal in itself. How many more children need to be raped by these animals for them to wake up? Why for heaven’s sake, do they think this is ok?
Pretty sad when you become as loony or loonier than California!
Defund them of all their money!
It would seem as though, if these illegal aliens commit more crimes after being released by the state and city officials, those officials should also be charged as aiding and abetting their crimes.
Criminals are running the insane asylum. Sanctuary cities. Victims are the criminals in these cities. Both the governor of Massachusetts and the mayor of Boston are abetting these criminals and they should be arrested alongside those rapists and murderers they are protecting. Their refusal to cooperate with Federal laws makes them criminals as well. They are undermining the state and local police along with DHS, immigration laws and federal orders to deport these criminals. But no the taxpayers of this state are complicit by allowing their tax money to pay for these criminals existence. When are these taxpayers going to stand up against this governor and mayor. How many more women and children need to be raped, murdered, before you stand up and kick these so called leaders out. It’s time people to take our country back. Before those 20 million illegals are weaponized to attack us citizens.
Double down. Please get these criminals off our streets.
Massachusetts is a socialist/progressive controlled state and that says it all. Being such, they, of course, lack any common sense whatsoever. Their once proud and respected universities are now, or heading to be, nothing more than liberal propaganda machines. Liberalization has replaced education. Which goes a long way in explaining our country’s declining status in its world intellectual position.
We should clean the illegal immigrants out of the sanctuary cities and states last, while cutting off Federal funding as much as practical. That way, the people who appreciate the clean up will be safer faster. The people who voted for the local and state Democrats can suffer the consequences longer; maybe even more illegal immigrants will flock there, making the round-up easier.
Can a judge or whatever entity that allows such a person, especially if a citizen is murdered, raped, etc. be legally and/or criminally liable? Seems that this entity should lose money from their own pocket for letting these people back into the citizenry to commit their crimes.
Wu needs to be deported
Tom Homan should be Arresting those Mayors and Governors of those Sanctuary Cities and States! They’ve been breaking the “Aiding and Abetting” and “Harboring Laws” for Years now! No More Talking!
Consideration should be given to arresting and prosecuting those public officials who refuse to appropiately discharge their duties in the interest of the safety and secuity of the citizens who placed them in their positions. The law-abiding have a reasonable expectation and right to be protected from the aberrant behaviors of the lawless.
Where are all the big mouth Massachusetts Democrats now? I guess if these criminals don’t affect their families, they are too busy having tea and crumpets to care. What a mess and a disgrace. Ms. Wu should be exiled from the bench for dementia and non-citizen protection laws. Same as the other idiot, Maura Haeley. ICE has a job to do and Homan should march in there with his soldiers and find those convicted criminals and get them on the next plane out of the US. Then both Governor and supporters of sanctuary cities should be removed from office by the people of Massachusetts for failing to do their jobs and prejudicial treatment of criminals (which probably makes them criminals too if you think about it.)
Massachusetts voters are pretty stupid.
Good on Tom Holman. But ICE should be charging Boston and rest of Massachusetts for doing the work their law enforcement is prevented from accomplishing! And publish the amount so Citizens understand there is another cost besides victims!
The huge numbers of unvetted migrants is a terrible workload for those whose job is to return America to legal migration. But the financial and crime load must be reduced. There is no alternative but do the best they can and work hard.
Perhaps it’s time to start arresting some city and state officials (and judges) for ignoring federal detainer requests, and any other federal law that can be used to support the arrests. They are putting the general public at risk.
It’s scary to work in MA and live so close by in CT. We don’t want Boston’s criminals coming here and they’ve already started. People in MA need to wake up!
My, my… These folks from Massachusetts certainly sponsor the most unwholesome among us… though, would they allow such crimes of rape and molestation among their own children go unpunished?
MA wants to follow CA etc.
That’s what happens what stupid women who think they are everybody’s mom are in charge. See the silly broad in Maine.
A MA resident for almost my entire life, I can say that John Adams [author of the Commonwealth’s constitution] must be turning over in his grave. It is truly unfortunate that MA residents have no provision to recall this current anti-American, woke governor, a democratic travesty on the face of the earth, along with a the one party legislature.
As part of my bucket list, I wanted to catch a Red Sox game at Fenway, and visit the Revolutionary War sites. But, since the MLB went woke and MA prefers ILLEGAL ALIENS over Americans, I’ve scrapped that idea.
TAX-achusetts has ALWAYS been a Left-wing liberal cess pool of CORRUPT POLITICIANS, EXTREMELY HIGH TAXES, AND STUPID LEFT-WING SOCIALIST VOTERS WHO KEEP ELECTING, RE-ELECTING, AND RE-ELECTING AGAIN THESE CORRUPT COMMIES. NOW THEY’RE PAYING THE PRICE FOR THEIR INSANITY.
The Lefties LOVE ALL LAW BREAKERS: Rapists, illegals, terrorists, child sex-traffickers, arsonists, murderers, drug dealers, gangs, violent protesters beating up people, burning businesses cars and homes, terrorizing innocent people, spreading chaos and destruction, and defunding law enforcement.
However, the Lefties HATE any type of law and order, ANYTHING that is good, moral, and has value. They despise the police and Common Sense, hard work, and taking any kind of personal responsibility for their actions. SANC CITIES AND STATES ARE A BIG PART OF AMERICA’S ENEMIES WITHIN.
Are there not enough sane thinking people in MA to recall the governor and these mayors who are supporting the illegal aliens over their own citizens? With all the murders, rapes human trafficking etc., one would think the sane citizens would have already starting legal recall proceedings.
Where are the protesters? Let one Muslim agitator get locked up and there are nationwide protests.
Hmm! Martha’s Vineyard welcomed illegals in 2022 and then gently moved them on. Such hypocrites! They’ve forgotten their history and our Constitution!
Force them to comply
Now you know why it’s called “Assachusetts “!
How tragic for the legal citizens of Mass, These sanctuary states are endangering their own citizens and giving horrible criminals impunity. I wonder if they realize exactly what they voted for when they voted in these Leftist idiots.
All federal assistance should be stopped to all of MA until they get back to following the law. They are opening their citizen to all kinds of murder and mayhem by continuing to release these violent illegal invaders convicted of violent crimes.
I can’t help but wonder how the legal citizens of this state feel about this. I know I would be scared half to death worrying about my family or myself becoming a victim of one of these violent illegals.
We the People have the right to feel safe in our own homes and MA loony liberal losers are not providing that safety. I would pack up my family and move to a safe state.
I find it fascinating what hatred can do to what used to be normal people. It looks like it eats away their intelligence and common sense. Thank Heavens, it only seems to be contagious to members of the democrat party.
I don’t how bad Massachusetts is,but Ilive in Illinois and our state hates legal citizens,they milk us for all that they can and then some in the name of the illegals.The fact is they are still democRATS that do what liberal leftists do,tax and spend,then spend and tax more.
This is just the middle finger at Trump and all Americans. Glad I never need to go to MA. To hell with them.
The entire Northeast of this country is now Communist-controlled. I recommend that all decent and sane people leave ASAP, as there will be no saving those states – they are lost to civilization for good.
How sad! Massachusetts used to be my home state. I still have property there. I guess that needs to be sold. No need to go back there. ????
Dems care more about Criminals than Citizens
ANYONE, elected, appointed, state or local, or any citizen, that aids, abets, encourages, conceals, assists or otherwise protects ANY illegal invader from arrest, prosecution or eviction from the USA, should be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the Law. This is essentially Treason. This is WAR!
City and state officials who refuse to uphold federal laws should be charged with treason! They are openly trying to destroy our country.
insanity and hate are the leftist playbook, so very sad.
Can’t help but wonder if all the children being raped are also Guatemalan or Honduran, so those in charge don’t care. But a morally sane person only sees a child, not his/her country of origin.
IF, on the other hand, these are American children, then those in charge have no morals or ethics at all and are pure evil.
I don’t expect anything better from Mass.
Sounds like the Massachusetts governor and Boston mayor and council need arresting.
so,sancuary cities,gov. mayors, decide for us its ok to vandilize america and defy the rule of law that makes america great and uniform.
The CENSORS cut out my comment which had no profanity or slander in it! What’s up, AMAC?
Don’t these individual attract attention of Illegal immigrate task force!
They want a “sanctuary city/state” let them pay for it. Cut off all Federal funding to MA. Let them pay for their own rapes, murders, robberies, etc. being committed by illegal aliens. If people living in MA are stupid enough to keep voting people into office who are supporting these crimes, then it’s on them.
Let all the illegal aliens/people/persons live near Wu’s house. Send them all to her neighborhood. Wu is NUTs!
Who were the victims?
Names not required. However, age, gender and in what area of the population did these atrocities occur? Rich – middle class – poor – migrant class?
No federal money for them. Maybe some “aiding and abetting” charges need to be enforced; you can bet Dems would do it if it was the other way around.