AsianFin -- U.S. Federal immigration authorities carried out raids across Boston and surrounding communities over the weekend, arresting dozens of individuals, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.

The operations come amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and city leaders over sanctuary policies. Boston officials have denounced the raids as unnecessary and a form of federal overreach, while the Justice Department has filed suit against the city and its mayor.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the weekend action, code-named Patriot 2.0, followed a similar sweep in May. The agency reported that those detained included individuals accused of sexual assault, drug trafficking, and gang activity who had previously been released from local jails despite federal requests to hold them. ICE argued that Boston’s policies allow dangerous offenders to remain in communities rather than face deportation.

President Donald Trump, who has already deployed National Guard troops and federal law enforcement to Washington, has repeatedly threatened to extend such actions to Chicago, citing the city’s struggles with violent crime.

On Saturday, Trump escalated his rhetoric on Truth Social, posting a meme referencing the Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now. The image carried the caption, “I love the smell of deportations in the morning,” alongside a warning that Chicago would soon see why he has referred to the Department of Defense as the “Department of War.”

The president has said he intends to project a more aggressive stance from the Pentagon toward foreign adversaries, but the suggestion that such an approach could be applied domestically drew swift criticism.