BOSTON — Federal immigration officers arrested a Dominican national in Massachusetts with a criminal record that reads like a greatest-hits list of violent felonies — fentanyl trafficking, assault with a dangerous weapon, and armed robbery — raising sharp questions about who exactly is living in the communities state leaders insist ICE is “terrorizing.”

We’re not sure if this is one of the neighbors Massachusetts leaders say ICE is “kidnapping,” but the rap sheet suggests this wasn’t a guy quietly tending a backyard tomato garden.

According to a public statement from ICE Boston, officers took Milciades Ramirez Ramon into custody on December 1. Ramirez, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, had already racked up convictions for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and armed robbery — crimes that would land most U.S. citizens in prison for years.

Instead, authorities say he was still out in the community until ICE picked him up this week.

The agency released a booking photo showing Ramirez in custody — a stark reminder that the individuals ICE targets often aren’t the “working families” and “law-abiding immigrants” repeatedly invoked by Massachusetts politicians who denounce federal immigration enforcement as cruel, unnecessary, or even “kidnapping.”

On Dec. 1, Officers with ICE Boston arrested Milciades Ramirez Ramon, a criminal alien from the Dominican Republic. Ramirez’ criminal history includes convictions for possession with intent to distribute (fentanyl), assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and armed robbery. pic.twitter.com/4JnclPCfMf

— ICE Boston (@EROBoston) December 4, 2025

For months, top officials on Beacon Hill and in Boston City Hall have blasted ICE operations, accusing federal officers of intimidating neighborhoods and ripping apart families. But the details emerging in case after case paint a more complicated picture, one that voters rarely hear: many of ICE’s Boston arrests involve serious, repeat criminal offenders shielded by the state’s sanctuary-style policies.

Ramirez is exactly the type of individual ICE routinely highlights — not to score political points, but to emphasize that when local jurisdictions decline to cooperate, dangerous offenders remain loose until federal agents track them down themselves.

ICE says Ramirez’ fentanyl conviction alone places him in one of the highest-risk categories. Fentanyl trafficking remains at the center of Massachusetts’ overdose crisis, with the state’s Department of Public Health repeatedly warning the drug is killing residents at record levels. Add prior assault-with-a-dangerous-weapon and armed robbery convictions, and it becomes clear why federal authorities prioritized his arrest.

Still, arrests like these are likely to fuel the ongoing political tug-of-war between Massachusetts leadership and federal immigration agencies — a conflict that has intensified as cities and towns struggle with a swelling migrant crisis, ballooning taxpayer costs, and overcrowding at state-run facilities.

Locally, some activists argue that ICE should not target anyone living in Massachusetts, regardless of prior criminal history, insisting deportation is inherently unjust. Others, including a growing number of frustrated residents, say the state has swung too far toward protecting criminal noncitizens at the expense of public safety.

As for Ramirez, ICE says he is now in federal custody and faces removal proceedings. The agency did not specify how long he had been in Massachusetts or whether local authorities previously declined an ICE detainer.

But the political fault lines are clear: Massachusetts leaders can call ICE enforcement actions “kidnapping,” “harassment,” or “fearmongering.” ICE, for its part, is holding up cases like Ramirez’ and asking a simple question:

If not this guy… then who should the state allow ICE to arrest?