Border czar Tom Homan has vowed to return to the Bay State as there is more “work to do” after last week’s “enhanced operation” that saw federal authorities sweep up nearly 400 “illegal aliens,” which he said included “many” collateral arrests.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, Homan said he didn’t know how many of the 370 arrests made last week were collateral and added that removing all “illegal aliens” is part of the job.

“Most were criminals, but many were collaterals. A majority of criminals,” Homan said outside the White House. “How come the collaterals? I’ve said this a thousand times: Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don’t want: more agents in the community and more collateral arrests.”

“When you release that public safety threat back into the public,” the border czar added, “that means we’ve got to go find him. When we find him, most likely, he’s with others. And if they’re in the country illegally, they’re coming too, because we’re not going to tell ICE to ignore the oath that they took to enforce immigration law and walk away from the illegal alien like the last administration.”

Federal authorities reportedly arrested 370 “illegal aliens” from March 18 to 23 during the “enhanced operation,” which largely focused on transnational organized crime and gangs, including the notorious MS-13, Tren de Aragua, Trinitarios, and 18th Street, ICE Boston reported.

Last week’s visit came after Homan promised to bring “hell” to Boston and pledged to visit the city during a speech at a conservative conference.

Of the 370 people arrested, 205 had significant criminal convictions or charges, ICE Boston reported. Six were foreign fugitives currently facing charges or convictions for murder, drug trafficking, organized crime, and money laundering.

Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday questioned Homan’s “fixation” on Massachusetts after his visit last week.

“To be quite honest, we’re a very safe state. We’re not a sanctuary state. Local, state, and federal law enforcement continue to work with and partner with one another,” Healey told reporters at the State House.

Healey pointed to an invitation from the Trump administration to the Massachusetts State Police to attend a ceremony last week at the White House to honor the agency’s part in arresting two dozen alleged gang members in Lawrence.

“So I’m not quite sure I understand what’s going on here,” Healey said.

When asked to respond to Healey’s declaration that Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state, Homan told "Fox & Friends": “Yeah, it is, and we just proved them wrong.”

“We have a lot of work to do, we’re not done, we are going back,” the border czar said Tuesday morning. “I said we will keep on going back until every illegal alien public safety threat is removed, not from Massachusetts, from the country. We are going to make this country safer.”

A spokesperson for Wu said Monday that Boston is the “safest major city in the country” and that city officials partner with all levels of law enforcement to prevent crime and hold “perpetrators” accountable.

The spokesperson also urged ICE to “release information on all the individuals detained … to ensure transparency.”

Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale called the federal effort last week a “textbook example of why it is crucial to keep our communities safe by holding criminals accountable, no matter their immigration status.”

“They have removed dangerous criminals from our streets, making Massachusetts a safer place for families,” Carnevale said in a statement Tuesday. “However, Governor Healey and Mayor Wu’s steadfast support for sanctuary policies is placing politics above public safety.”

Their refusal to cooperate with federal authorities is a direct threat to the safety of our residents,” she added, “allowing violent offenders to walk free instead of being held accountable.”

The enhanced law enforcement is unnerving immigrant communities across Massachusetts.

Immigration lawyer Bianca Jordan, who works with clients across Greater Boston, told the Herald on Tuesday that the Trump administration is “detaining immigrants with legal work authorization who have been vetted, who don’t have criminal records.”

“U.S. citizens have also been arrested and detained,” Jordan said. “This does not make us safer.”

ICE Boston highlighted Monday that a couple of those arrested during the targeted operation last week included a Chilean convicted of four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old, arrested in Marlboro; and a Brazilian charged with manslaughter, homicide by a motor vehicle, homicide while under the influence of liquor, breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a crime, and larceny, arrested in Worcester.

Boston is a sanctuary city under the Trust Act, a 2014 local law prohibiting city police and other departments from cooperating with ICE and federal agencies on civil immigration detainers.

Under a state Supreme Judicial Court ruling in 2017, Massachusetts authorities also cannot arrest or hold a person based on a detainer which requests law enforcement to hold a “noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released.”

State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are sounding off after last week’s enhanced operation.

Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Marlboro, called Homan a “coward” in a social media post on Monday, accusing the Trump administration of “racially profiling certain groups of people and neighborhoods” by “arresting and trying to deport Green Card holders.”

State Rep. Marc Lombardo, R-Billerica, posted a video on X Tuesday, saying the arrests highlight the need for new leadership on Beacon Hill and a new governor.

Annie Gonzalez, a volunteer with the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network, told the Herald: “Our community is heartbroken at ICE’s violence over the past week (and years) – causing physical and emotional trauma to people of all ages, separating families and sowing fear. Our communities deserve freedom to live our lives.”

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