ICE Raid On Nantucket: 12 Detained And Removed By Coast Guard

At least 12 people were detained and removed from Nantucket on Tuesday in a federal immigration raid by ICE and FBI agents.

In what appears to be the largest immigration enforcement operation on Nantucket in years, federal agents pulled over multiple vehicles across the mid-island area beginning around 7 a.m., taking at least a dozen suspected illegal immigrants into custody. The arrests were part of a larger federal operation conducted on both Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and in Hyannis on Tuesday that resulted in 40 total arrests, officials said.

The identities of those who were arrested have not yet been disclosed by federal authorities. The 12 detainees were removed from the island aboard the Coast Guard patrol boat Hammerhead around 1:30 p.m.

ICE stated in a press release that the arrests included a documented member of the MS-13 gang, and at least one child sex offender. 

“ICE officers and FBI, DEA and ATF agents worked together to arrest a significant number of illegal alien offenders which included at least one child predator," according to an ICE statement "Our partners in the U.S. Coast Guard facilitated a safe and efficient transport of the alien offenders off Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, ensuring the safety of the residents of those communities."

The Current was at Coast Guard Station Brant Point when authorities transferred the 12 detainees to the patrol boat, and captured the video below:

“For officer safety, ICE does not comment on ongoing operations,” ICE Boston spokesman James Covington told the Current when we reached out for comment on the raid.

Later on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security shared the Current's video on the X platform, and stated, "ICE is removing illegal aliens from ALL states, communities, and worksites across this country. If you are here illegally use the CBP Home app to self-deport. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return."

It is not yet known where the detainees were taken on the mainland.

Nantucket Police Department Lieutenant Angus MacVicar told the Current island police were notified on Monday that members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency would be arriving on-island Tuesday. 

“We were not asked to support their operation in any way or have we assisted today,” MacVicar said. He directed any questions regarding ICE’s operation to the agency's public affairs team.

Vehicles were pulled over by federal agents on Old South Road, Surfside Road, Miacomet Road, Essex Road, and other locations around the mid-island area. 

On Old South Road early Tuesday morning, a woman was left behind in the passenger seat of a Toyota 4Runner after federal agents pulled it over and took two men into custody.

Meanwhile, on Fairgrounds Road, island resident Mason Kennelly was pulled over by ICE agents who questioned him before ultimately letting him go on his way. 

"They (the ICE agents) said 'Where are you guys coming from?' I was solo in the car," Kennelly said. "They asked me like five times and then said 'sorry, wrong guy' and sped off."

The impact of the ICE raid was felt almost immediately across the island.

"It was and is the worst nightmare," said Carla Zenis, who came to Nantucket from Chile in 2004 and has two children in the public school system. "All the Hispanic community worked as a team trying to protect and support ourselves. We were communicating with each other all day long, sharing videos, messages, locations, etc. I feel so devastated for all the ones arrested unfairly."

Zenis, who works at A Safe Place, Nantucket's sexual assault and domestic violence prevention agency, and many others described a sense of fear and panic on Tuesday among the island's Hispanic community.

"People in general are extremely afraid," she said. "They are in a panic. They don't know what to expect for tomorrow and the other days to come."

Those fears were clearly evident in numerous places around the island. Roads were less busy. The parking lot at the Nantucket Elementary School and Nantucket Intermediate School was noticeably less congested with cars as school let out.

Luciene Alves, an island housecleaner originally from Brazil, has lived on Nantucket for 22 years and owned her cleaning company since 2010. She said she had been in the country illegally, but has since secured her green card. On Tuesday afternoon, Alves and her daughter helped pick up children from school whose parents were too afraid to leave the house.

"It's really sad," Alves said. "I know what the people are feeling today. They stayed home today and maybe tomorrow too. Me and my daughter helped a lot of mothers to bring their kids home from school today."