Immigration official defends tactics against criticism of a heavy hand
as arrests rise nationwide
[June 03, 2025]
By LEAH WILLINGHAM
BOSTON (AP) — The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on
Monday defended his tactics against criticism that authorities are being
too heavy-handed as they ramp up arrests toward President Donald Trump's
promises of mass deportations.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he was “deeply upset” by an ICE
operation at a popular Italian restaurant just before the dinner rush on
Friday. A chaotic showdown unfolded outside as customers and witnesses
shouted, smoke filled the air, and agents wore heavy tactical gear to
face an angry crowd.
Todd Lyons, ICE's acting director, turned emotional when asked to
explain why officials wear masks. He said some have received death
threats and been harassed online.
“I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not
going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on
the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what
immigration enforcement is,” he said at a news conference in Boston to
announce nearly 1,500 arrests in the region as part of a month-long
“surge operation.”
Lyons was leaving the room when a reporter asked him about the masks. He
returned to the podium.
“Is that the issue here that we’re just upset about the masks?” he
asked. “Or is anyone upset about the fact that ICE officers’ families
were labeled terrorists?”
Lyons may have been referring to comments by San Diego Councilman Sean
Elo-Rivera, who called ICE officers “terrorists” after Friday's
restaurant raid. “This isn't safety. It's state-sponsored terrorism,"
Elo-Rivera wrote on Instagram.
The Department of Homeland Security reposted Elo-Rivera's message,
saying that likening ICE to terrorists was “sickening.” The councilman
stuck by his comments on Monday.
Other elected officials, such as Gloria and U.S. Rep. Scott Peters of
San Diego, both Democrats, were more muted but also sharply critical of
ICE and the Republican White House.
“Federal actions like these are billed as a public safety measure, but
it had the complete opposite effect. What we saw undermines trust and
creates fear in our community,” Gloria said.
ICE said Monday that the operation at Buona Forchetta, an anchor of San
Diego's trendy South Park neighborhood, resulted in four arrests of
people in the U.S. illegally. Authorities executed criminal search
warrants for illegal hiring and making false statements when the crowd
“became unruly,” prompting them to use flash-bang devices.
“When gatherings like these are formed, it not only places law
enforcement in danger but also the demonstrators/onlookers attempting to
impede law enforcement activity,” ICE said in a statement.
The owners said they were closing their restaurants in Southern
California for two days.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons
announces that his agency took nearly 1,500 immigrants into custody
in Massachusetts over the month of May during a news conference at
the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston, Monday, June 2,
2025. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)
“We wish we could find stronger words, but the truth is we are
heartbroken,” the owners said in a statement. “The traumatic incident
involving a federal enforcement operation at our original and beloved
South Park location has left a mark on all of us. A wound that is still
raw, still echoing in our kitchens, our dining rooms, and our hearts.”
Lyons said in an interview on Fox & Friends Sunday that ICE was
averaging about 1,600 arrests a day, a sharp increase from previous data
that showed 78,155 arrests between Jan. 20 and May 19 — a daily average
of 656. He said ICE can and will do more.
Stephen Miller, the key architect of Trump's immigration policy, last
week set a goal of 3,000 arrests a day and said the number could go
higher. That pace would be a huge challenge with current funding. ICE
housed an average of more than 46,000 detainees during the first half of
May, already above its budgeted capacity.
Lyons said operations like the surge in Massachusetts wouldn’t be
necessary if “sanctuary cities would change their policy.” There’s no
legal definition for sanctuary city policies, but they generally limit
cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers.
Homeland Security published a list of more than 500 sanctuary
jurisdictions but removed it from its website after criticism that it
contained inaccuracies, even from its allies.
Lyons stood near a poster board with mug shots of unnamed immigrants. A
full list of those arrested was not available, nor was information about
the crimes specific individuals are accused of committing.
Lyons called them “dangerous criminals” who are “terrorizing family,
friends and our neighbors.”
State, local and federal authorities participated in a raid Saturday at
a South Carolina nightclub that officials said was popular with drug
dealers, resulting in the arrests of 66 people who were in the country
illegally. Cardell Morant, special agent in charge of Homeland Security
Investigations in South Carolina and North Carolina, said the 3 a.m.
operations came during a “cartel after-party.”
Officials did not release additional details about the charges being
faced by those who were arrested during the raid in Charleston County.
___
Rebecca Santana in Washington, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Jeffrey
Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed.
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