Martha’s Vineyard residents upset as ICE arrests dozens of illegal immigrants

Martha’s Vineyard residents are unhappy with the Trump administration deporting illegal immigrants from their liberal enclave, The Washington Post reported this week.

The community has been reeling since Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers arrested dozens of illegal immigrants in a recent raid, according to the report.

“It’s bullying,” one Martha’s Vineyard resident, Charlie Giordano, told the Post. “I don’t know how many are illegal or legal, I don’t give a s—. But I do care about how they’re treated.”

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The Washington Post’s story on the Martha’s Vineyard ICE raid comes as the federal law enforcement agency has been the focus of riots in downtown Los Angeles for the past several days. 

ICE agents carried out operations at businesses across Los Angeles on Friday, sparking protests and clashes outside multiple locations that grew so chaotic that President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops into the city, followed by several hundred U.S. Marines, to restore order. Some California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have accused the administration of exacerbating the situation.

As the Post reported, ICE agents performed a massive sting throughout Massachusetts in late May that resulted in nearly 1,500 arrests. Forty of those arrests happened on the two islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

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ICE agents during a series of immigration enforcement operations in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. (ICE)

The arrests have ignited “fear among undocumented workers who form the backbone of the workforce here just as the busy summer season gets underway,” the outlet reported.

“After the raid, many immigrants panicked and shuttered themselves indoors. Many spoke to The Washington Post only on the condition of anonymity because they fear being targeted the next time ICE arrives on the island. They recounted taking extraordinary measures that day and in the week after to protect themselves,” the Post said, adding that the liberal community on the island had been shaken as well. 

“The arrests hit a nerve in a liberal enclave known for welcoming everyone: presidents — former president Barack Obama has an oceanfront property here — LGBTQ+ activists, racial minorities, celebrities and a large cluster of immigrants from Brazil,” the paper noted.

One Brazilian resident, who admitted to the Post he is undocumented, warned that the local economy will crater because of the arrests and deportations.

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The anonymous man, who also owns three businesses in Martha’s Vineyard, said, “The money is just going to stop flowing. The U.S. is only losing in pushing us out.”

The Island has become a safe haven for many illegal immigrants from Brazil in recent decades as they fled their home country due to hyperinflation and other economic problems. According to the outlet, many came over on work or tourist visas, but ended up staying in the country. 

The Post reported that these immigrants “established businesses offering food and cleaning services that are now crucial to daily life in a resort town. Today there are few restaurant menus here that don’t offer Brazilian-inspired options like croquettes or traditional cheesy bread.” It noted just how prevalent the Portuguese language is within the community as well. 

An anonymous Brazilian woman, who owns a business and has raised three children on the island, told the paper, “The American people love us because we work so hard to help the community prosper and grow.”

“This was a safe place,” she added. 

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An exterior view of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters in Washington, DC. U.S.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Residents said that the recent arrests “felt arbitrary and included valued community members who had committed no crime,” according to the Post. A Brazilian pastor on the island told the outlet, “ICE would come here to get criminals and that is good. But the way they did it now, that was not it.”

However, the paper acknowledged ICE’s recent statement disputing those claims. According to the agency, more than half of all the illegal immigrants detained in Massachusetts last month had a criminal record. 

ICE did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Martha’s Vineyard was at the center of the nation’s immigration debate in 2022, when Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered 50 illegal immigrants detained in Florida to be flown to the island. DeSantis was attempting to highlight the record influx of migrants at the southern border.