The Trump administration rolled back Biden-era policies on Immigration and Customs Enforcement – also know as ICE – allowing agents to perform arrests in so-called "sensitive" areas such as churches, schools, and courthouses.
NBC10 Boston spotted federal agents entering homes in East Boston on Wednesday afternoon, going door-to-door in the neighborhood.
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Residents of the heavily migrant community said they worried what it could mean for them.
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The operations happened amid heightened alert for mass roundups and deportations promised by President Donald Trump.
"It is horrifying, and that is the point," said Episcopal City Mission lead organizer Hannah Hafter. "This is a crisis moment that requires us to step up."
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Hafter said the network of churches sheltering migrant families in Massachusetts makes them a target for ICE. She said they won't comply with their orders unless they have a signed warrant to go into their churches and synagogues.
"We have moved so far away from the actual message of Jesus in the Bible that people can think that they are Christian and be doing the exact opposite of what Christianity says, which is 'All are welcome, welcome the stranger,'" she said.
Worcester Public Schools also said it will not cooperate with ICE.
"Principals and school-based staff have received detailed guidance on protecting students' rights, responding to ICE interactions, and supporting students whose parents or guardians may be detained during the school day," the district said in a letter to the school community.
Meanwhile, the school's transportation department ordered its bus drivers not to let any students off the bus if they see any agents at bus stops.
"If the federal government needs to be starting processes against the adults, there's ways they can do that without ripping a family apart," said Friendly House Massachusetts Case Manager Michael Moreshead, who applauded WPS for being out-front about its approach to ICE.
"They don't want these places to become sanctuaries," said XFed CEO and former ICE Deputy Director of the San Antonio Field Office Jaime Calderas.
Calderas said ICE will be prioritizing national security threats, criminals and the 300,000 or so children the government reportedly lost track of, adding that the lack of cooperation from local police exposes other undocumented people that are not a high priority.
"They're going to go find them where they work, where they sleep, or in the streets," he said. "Anyone else that's in that area, if they get identified, they're going to be arrested and deported."
More on Trump's immigration policy
Former Bristol County Sheriff and Massachusetts Trump Campaign Chair Thomas Hodgson said he will be helping ICE to make it easier for these raids to happen.
"We don't need any groups or organizations attempting to create this environment where it makes it harder for law enforcement to keep our communities safe," he said.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association condemned Trump's directives, labeling the policy as "cruel."
Boston Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.
ICE Boston has not confirmed if its agents were part of the raids in East Boston or who was detained.
