After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested several illegal immigrants on Nantucket for alleged sex crimes, a local GOP chairman is urging more scrutiny as migrant violence continues to escalate. Wealthy liberal enclave of Massachusetts.
ICE has arrested at least eight people, including a member of the violent gang MS-13, on the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on various criminal charges since August.
Toby Brown, chairman of the Nantucket GOP and a resident of Nantucket for three decades, was among the few on the island to openly express concerns about illegal immigration in the wake of the arrests.
Brown told Fox News Digital, “We need to have this conversation, not just keep having it… Consider that if you’re concerned in any way, you’re racist… People need to be afraid to speak out. No need.”
Fear grips idyllic Nantucket amid surge in immigrant crime: ‘Too many bad people’
“The island was more concerned when Kevin Spacey was accused in 2016 (than for more recent sexual crimes he allegedly committed) illegal immigrant)” He said.
Five immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador were picked up by ICE enforcement and removal operations of boston In separate actions over the course of three days in September.
Elmer Sola and Brian Daniel Aldana-Arévalo were charged sexual crime against children; Félix Alberto Pérez-Gómez and Jean do Amaral Belafronte were charged with sexual crimes against adults; And Angel Gabriel Deras-Mejia was a documented member of MS-13, the agency said.
Nantucket parents fear for kids amid surge in migrant crime: ‘As a father it really scares me’
Boats are painted along one of Nantucket’s piers. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
“It was no surprise to us,” Brown said. “When you follow the court reports over the last year or so, there have been quite a few violent arrests…Maybe it was a surprise that ICE came here, but it’s not a surprise that they had to come here. “
Immigrants – many of whom have obtained H2B visas for seasonal work – are an important part of Nantucket’s tourism industry and make up a large portion of the summer vacation destination’s year-round population.
Local bars, like The Muse, host packed Latino nights each week, and 41.5% of students in Nantucket’s public schools speak a language other than English at home, according to online school district data.
Pictured is The Muse, a local bar that hosts bustling Latino nights every Saturday on Nantucket. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Brown said most immigrants on the idyllic island off the coast of Cape Cod are well-off and active community members, including those living there illegally. Many of his friends and colleagues are immigrants, he said. But many residents are still concerned about those who may be fleeing the violent past in their home countries.
“We owe it to our immigrants who came here, whether they were legal or not,” he said. “A lot of them are people who want a better life. And they come here and they’re doing the best they can. They raise their kids here and they don’t want this crime.”
“They didn’t come to Nantucket to live like they came from El Salvador or Mexico or wherever they came from,” he said.
A row of storefronts in Nantucket’s downtown historic district. (David J. McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Brown said whether someone is in the country illegally is less important to them than whether they are “good people” and called on employers, landlords and others in positions to help keep the island safe. Whether people have investigated them or not.
“I ask that I hope employers, landlords, everybody, we just need to test people and, you know, and maybe there are other ways we can do that,” Brown said. ”
Brown, owner of a lawn sprinkler company, said, “When I started my business in 2002, I wanted to make sure I hired good people for my family and my community… I really thought about (employees) Tried to investigate.” “I would feel very bad if, out of a desire to make a little more money or being a little more lazy, I hired someone and I hope everything goes well. And (that hire) has committed something heinous crime.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“We’re all human beings. (But) my biggest thing is I want my family to be safe. I want you to be safe. That’s what we need in this country, for people to be safe.”
