ICE agents at Mass. National Guard armory in Framingham without state permission

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were at the Massachusetts Army National Guard armory in Framingham on Wednesday, state officials confirmed.

A spokesperson for the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which oversees the guard, said agents arrived on the property "without prior notice and without permission."

The spokesperson, in a statement, said the Massachusetts National Guard informed ICE "that unapproved stops are not permitted.”

Three unmarked vehicles were spotted Wednesday afternoon by a volunteer with the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts, a group of people tracking the movement of agents and documenting arrests. LUCE said all three cars had been identified in recent weeks in connection with multiple ICE arrests.

Framingham and the surrounding area have been a hotspot for immigration enforcement recently. Across Massachusetts, ICE reported that agents arrested more than 1,400 people last month.

The presence of ICE at a local armory raises questions about why agents were there, and the nature of the agency's relationship with the state's guard.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

Nationally, the Trump administration has begun mobilizing troops to assist ICE with immigration enforcement. In June, the Pentagon called up some 2,000 National Guard members to protect ICE amid protests in Los Angeles. In July, the Pentagon said some 1,700 Department of Defense personnel were working to "directly enable ICE to dedicate more trained agents to core law enforcement activities."

The Massachusetts National Guard has deployed regularly to the southwest border since 2010, including a deployment currently underway, according to state officials. In 2018, Gov. Charlie Baker declined to send Massachusetts troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, calling out President Trump's immigration enforcement as "cruel and inhumane."

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other Massachusetts officials have said the city does not need or want the military deployed here to assist ICE or law enforcement.