Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is slamming the Boston Globe over an article highlighting a local activist who alerts the community when federal agents are in the area to evade them.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston field office is responding to the Globe’s recent article on how President Trump’s deportation push is affecting immigrant communities in the region, making a social media statement on the Fourth of July.

“Recently, the Boston Globe published an article heralding the efforts of a local activist. ICE contacted the Globe hoping to have our director’s quote included. His quote is below,” ERO Boston stated in an X post on Friday morning.

Lyons, who formerly led Boston’s field office, blasted the Globe’s report after he stated he considers himself to “represent the finest federal officers and agents tasked with one of the toughest jobs in all of law enforcement.”

“Our officers risk their lives every day protecting New England communities from criminal alien offenders,” Lyons stated.

He then added: “Activists like Lucy Pineda are often hailed as heroes by publications with obvious political agendas, but if they were to take an honest look at what her and her followers are doing, they are enabling people to break the law – and more often than they are comfortable admitting – they are allowing violent criminals to continue to victimize the migrant communities.”

Pineda, a 52-year-old native of El Salvador, is the head of Everett-based Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts, which the Globe described as a “growing network of 2,500 volunteers that patrol neighborhoods all over the state, from Everett to Lynn to Worcester.”

“Their mission: To warn communities of ICE activity, alerting families at risk of deportation,” the Globe states.

Federal agents arrested Pineda’s brother, Emilio Neftaly Pineda, an illegal Salvadoran national convicted of domestic assault and battery, violating a restraining order, and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, last month in Peabody.

At the time of the arrest, agents stated that the man is “also the subject of two arrest warrants in Massachusetts for leaving the scene of an accident and compulsory insurance violation after he failed to appear for his court dates for those charges.”

In response to a Herald inquiry, a Globe spokesperson said, “We responded to the original email requesting to include a comment and are working to incorporate it in digital and print for our readers. The story featured many people throughout the piece.”

The Globe also ran a separate story on Lyons’ response.

“In May, ICE and other federal agents descended on Massachusetts, arresting more than 1,400 people, more than any other month on record,” the report begins. “Recently, a team of Globe reporters, photographers, and videographers spent a week canvassing immigrant communities to understand the effect of that surge.”

“During the course of the reporting, the Boston regional office of ICE did not engage with Globe requests to participate,” it continues. “However, on July 4, after reading the published article, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons provided a statement to the Globe.”

A video posted on the Globe’s social media accounts on Thursday shows Lucy Pineda interacting with federal agents.

“You’re targeting our hardworking community,” she tells them. “OK? Remember, karma exists. Karma exists. OK? Karma exists.”