— School board candidate arrested in confrontation with ICE on Eureka Street in Worcester by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: “Two people were arrested by Worcester police on Eureka Street on May 8 in a situation involving agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Witnesses say the agents were at a local residence to detain a woman of Brazilian descent. A crowd of protesters converged on the street, with some clearly angry with the agents. Among those on hand was District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj. PAY WALL ‘Deeply disturbed’: Worcester officials react to ‘harrowing’ ICE arrest
State Sen. Robyn Kennedy, D—1st Worcester, also shared a statement on the incident with MassLive. “It is more important than ever that we center the protection of our residents and uphold due process in every conversation,” the statement reads. “No one should live in fear or be denied fairness under the law. Our immigrant communities deserve dignity, safety, and the full protection of their rights.” Following the incident, District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj confronted Worcester Police Lt. J.L. Bossolt about how his department handled the incident, calling it “disrespectful.” Haxhiaj accused police of throwing one of the women who was arrested on the ground — a claim the lieutenant pushed back on. “All you needed to do was to have one of us hold her and contain her. You didn’t have to take her,” the city councilor said, frustratedly. “This is what we talk about! This use of force is unnecessary!” Worcester police are still investigating the incident, including video footage of the scene, the department said. More charges may be filed.
***MUST READ TO UNDERSTAND ICE GESTAPO ABUSE & INCOMPETENCE! NO WARRANT! NO IDENTIFICATION! ASSAULTED OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE AFTER BREAKING CAR WINDOW!*** — Judge orders release of immigrant who was arrested after agents smashed his window by Kevin G. Andrade, The New Bedford Light: “A New Bedford man whose April detention during an immigration raid made international headlines, with video of federal agents smashing in his car window, is set to be released after an immigration judge found the Department of Homeland Security did not file charges in the case.” ***ICE GESTAPO FEAR & INTIMIDATION AMONG COMMUNITY! ICE GESTAPO ARE NOT DEPORTING CRIMINALS!**** — ICE fliers seeking ‘unaccompanied alien’ children put fear in New Bedford immigrants by Frank Mulligan, The Standard-Times: “A Department of Homeland Security flier seeking information on ‘unaccompanied alien’ children is being distributed to immigrant households in New Bedford in what one group is calling an ICE intimidation tactic.” excerpt: NEW BEDFORD — A Department of Homeland Security flier seeking information on “unaccompanied alien” children is being distributed to immigrant households in New Bedford in what one group is calling an ICE intimidation tactic. Indivisible South Coast New England said the fliers’ distribution is another sign of an “escalation” in ICE tactics, including its increased presence in New Bedford and “aggressive, unlawful enforcement actions” like the arrest of a 29-year-old Guatemalan man on April 14 in which his car window was smashed to gain access. “ICE has been distributing fliers featuring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal to local addresses, requesting residents to report unaccompanied migrant children. This disturbing strategy appears calculated to sow fear and create instability in families. Even more troubling is the potential for ICE to target children while they are commuting to or from school, infringing on what should be their safe spaces for learning and growth,” according to an Indivisible South Coast New England press release. Indivisible is a group of volunteer activists who support the work of more than 80 groups across the state “working to improve democracy, and support policies and legislation that improve equity and justice for everyone and that eliminate institutional racism,” according to an Indivisible Mass Coalition website. New Bedford Police confirm flier from Homeland SecurityNew Bedford Police confirmed with the Department of Homeland Security that the flier was being distributed in New Bedford. It’s in English and Spanish, and states that Homeland Security is working in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Refugee Resettlement “and is attempting to locate and verify the safety of a previously released unaccompanied alien child who may be residing at this address.” Flier distribution frightening immigrant communityAdrian Ventura, director of Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores in New Bedford, said the flier was frightening people in the immigrant community. He said he’s been told of about 14 or 15 incidents in which the fliers were presented at people’s homes in various city neighborhoods. Agents knock and try to present the fliers. The people generally don’t open the door to strangers given recent ICE arrests in the city. The agents then leave the flier. Ventura said that some of the homes may have had adolescents living there in the past, but don’t now. The fliers are putting their parents or older family members in fear, he said. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. State Attorney General guidelines on children, schoolsIndivisible South Coast New England said that children being pulled from school or witnessing ICE activity near schools can suffer lasting emotional and educational harm. It pointed to guidance provided by the state Attorney General’s Office in case ICE asks to question or remove a student from their classroom. The guidance states that “schools must obtain the specific, informed written consent of a parent or guardian or be provided with a valid, judicial warrant signed by a federal or state judge.” They say ICE is strictly prohibited from bypassing these protocols, delivering warrants at schools, or circumventing protections by targeting children directly within school environments. Resources listed to support immigrant familiesThe group also listed resources available to support immigrant families and protect their rights: - Immigrant Defense Project (www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/know-your-rights-with-ice/): Tools and infographics in English and Spanish to educate communities and prepare for ICE encounters.
- Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (www.miracoalition.org/news/know-your-rights): Resources tailored to educators, volunteers, and concerned citizens on responding to ICE activity.
- Luce Immigration Hotline (www.lucemass.org/): A hotline for real-time reporting of ICE raids and seeking immediate advice.
- PAIR Project (www.pairproject.org/): Legal assistance for immigrants, including asylum seekers.
- MassMutual Pro Bono Asylum Program (www.massmutual.com/probono/asylum.html): Free legal resources for those pursuing asylum claims.
— Local groups report major spike in ICE detentions around Massachusetts by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining and arresting people in the Boston area in far greater numbers this past week, local watchdogs and community groups tell GBH News. ICE detentions ranging from Worcester, Framingham, Waltham, Boston and beyond were captured on video and on social media and reported by community members. Advocates with the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA tell GBH News that they’ve identified more than 50 ICE arrests since Sunday.” excerpts: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining and arresting people in the Boston area in far greater numbers this past week, local watchdogs and community groups tell GBH News. ICE detentions ranging from Worcester, Framingham, Waltham, Boston and beyond were captured on video and on social media and reported by community members. Advocates with the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA tell GBH News that they’ve identified more than 50 ICE arrests since Sunday.
On Monday, 25-year-old Daniel Orellana was in Framingham on his way to work when he was stopped near a gas station and detained. His partner, Zulema Alfaro, said she didn’t hear from him or have any idea where he was until 17 hours later, when he called from an ICE detention facility in Plymouth. Alfaro said agents had shown Orellana a photo of another man and asked if it was him, or if he knew him. He said no, and that he wanted to go to work and call his boss. “They didn’t give him an opportunity to talk — they just took him, and took his wallet and his phone. They left him in a car for five hours while they went and got more people,” she told GBH in a Spanish-language interview. She said Orellana was originally from Guatemala and was studying in university there to become a lawyer, then a judge. He fled due to threats to his family and violence from gangs — and has been working on an asylum application in the United States while taking English classes. “He has no criminal history here, or in Guatemela — no interactions with the police, either. He works in the community, he goes to church and he works for his family,” she said.
Multiple members of one Worcester family were also detained by ICE and arrested by Worcester police this week, several witnesses tell GBH News. A father who lives on Eureka Street was detained Wednesday. The following day, advocates told GBH News that vehicles were surveilling the family’s home as early as 7 a.m. Hours later, the grandmother in the family was detained by ICE as a large crowd of community members gathered at the scene. “When the woman of the family called her own elderly mother to seek help with the infant, ICE agents then detained the elderly woman without a warrant,” read a press release from the LUCE network. Neighbors called Worcester Police, who arrived to respond to the crowd. Worcester Police spokesperson Sean Murtha told GBH News by email that Worcester officers were not called until after the ICE action was underway. “WPD officers responded to a call that a hostile crowd had surrounded a federal agent,” he wrote. “Two individuals were placed under arrest by Worcester Police officers as a result of their behavior after WPD officers arrived.”
In a statement, city manager Erik Batista said officers responding to the emergency calls arrived to a volatile scene. “Unfortunately, two individuals were arrested after several attempts by WPD officers to deescalate the chaotic situation, which included the endangerment of an infant,” he said. “My heart goes out to all those impacted by today’s events.” Eyewitnesses said they arrested a community activist as well as a 16-year-old child related to the family. Dálida Rocha, a local resident and executive director of Neighbor to Neighbor, arrived near the end of the confrontation. “The one thing I was able to see is the young woman, who’s a minor, being taken away in handcuffs,” Rocha said. Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was at the site of the arrests and joined with neighbors to form a human ring around the family. “I am also a mother, the daughter of immigrants, and her neighbor — I will not sit idly while our families are brutally torn apart,” she said in a statement. “The way immigrants in Worcester and across the Commonwealth are being targeted and terrorized by this federal administration for deportation is absolutely unconstitutional.”
Worcester mayor Joseph Petty issued a statement that he was “deeply disturbed” by what happened and that he has requested a full report from the city manager. “I am devastated to hear about the separation of a family, especially with Mother’s Day around the corner. The fear of ICE tearing a family apart is the worst nightmare of so many in our city,” Petty said. “Simply put, we cannot have this happen in our community.” Community organizers are taking it upon themselves to publicly track the activity — a hotline, organized by an immigrant advocacy network LUCE, has seen an uptick of calls about ICE this week. From Sunday to Wednesday afternoon, there were 150 calls to the hotline about suspected federal immigration enforcement. Usually the number of calls for that time frame averages at 74 —a 100% increase. The most calls came from Waltham, Brighton, East Boston, Everett, Lynn and the Merrimack Valley. After a call to the hotline, a group of volunteers is dispatched to try to verify the situation and avoid rumors from spreading — and share verified information with the community. Sometimes the organization uses news reports for confirmation, as was the case in Great Barrington, where immigration agents arrested two men in an apartment building. Jonathan Paz is part of Fuerza, a neighborhood watch group in Waltham, which is part of the LUCE network. Pax said there’s an “alarming rate of activity.” “In Waltham, particularly, we see what seems to be more militarized operations in apprehending community members,” he said in an interview. On Sunday, Paz witnessed seven vehicles that pulled over one car, where an adult man was driving with a child. Agents looked through the 10-year-old’s phone and let the child go, but detained the adult. The man was a friend of the child’s father, Paz said. “They would not engage with us when we asked if they had a warrant to rip that individual out of their car,” he said. Paz said the boy asked him later, “‘Isn’t this over the top?’ If a 10-year-old kid can figure out this isn’t normal behavior, I’m curious to see what constitutional officers in Massachusetts are doing — like, what is Governor [Maura] Healey doing to protect communities?” Healey’s office referred to a press scrum on Wednesday where she addressed Orellana’s arrest in Framingham, saying she “hadn’t heard about” the case. “We continue to monitor things,” she said. “I’ve said at the outset that we’re not a sanctuary state, therefore if people have been convicted of crimes, charged with crimes, and they’re not here lawfully, then they’re subject to action by ICE.” Two more men were detained by ICE in their East Boston homes recently, community groups confirmed to GBH News. “We have actually been involved in supporting one of the victims of the seizures, because in every one of these cases, there’s a family that’s left behind,” said Neenah Estrella-Luna, a member of Mutual Aid Eastie. She said there’s also been immigration enforcement vehicles spotted in the Central Square Plaza next to Shaw’s in East Boston, including on Wednesday. Robert Goulston contributed reporting. ***ICE GESTAPO LIES! CONCEALING INFORMATION TO "DISAPPEAR" PEOPLE! DENYING DUE PROCESS! ASSAULTING OCCUPANT!**** — An ICE action in Newton turns rough, and secrecy follows by Simón Rios, WBUR.
Federal agents surrounded a silver Ford sedan on a quiet tree-lined street on the Watertown-Newton line Monday morning. Several neighbors shot video of the confrontation on Maple Street, as agents tried to get two men to step out of the car. The impasse lasted about 20 minutes, neighbors said. Then, an agent smashed the passenger-side windows and unlocked the car doors, video footage reviewed by WBUR shows. Another agent handcuffed the passenger in the front seat. The driver was dragged out and punched, then tackled after a struggle and pinned to the ground by five agents. He screamed out in pain, as one neighbor in the video shouted at the agents to stop. There were few clues to the identities of the men who were arrested: A sign in the rear window of the Ford Focus advertised a masonry and painting company. Hanging from the rearview mirror was a toy boxing glove that said “Guatemala.” That lack of public information has been a hallmark of many Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests: no publicly disclosed warrant or arrest record; no paper trail, as there is with local police; no response to requests for details from ICE or its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, on why the men were detained. This level of secrecy is unlike how many other law enforcement agencies carry out arrests in this country. And the lack of disclosure by ICE fuels criticism that immigrants are being “disappeared” without due process — even in cases where those arrested face serious charges that might shed light on why they are targeted. In an effort to learn the identities of the men arrested Monday, WBUR contacted police departments in Newton, Watertown and Waltham, reviewed court records and called people with ties to the driver. Police in the three cities said they were not involved in the arrests and referred further questions to Homeland Security. Waltham court records show the owner of the masonry company advertised in the car is Kiender Lopez-Lopez. He was charged with assault and battery related to a domestic incident in 2020, and later with violating an abuse prevention order. Both charges were continued without a finding. On Wednesday, 48 hours after the arrest, Lopez-Lopez's name appeared in ICE’s detainee database. The entry said he was being held at the Plymouth County Jail. The arrest illustrates the uncertainty that frequently follows immigration arrests. Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai said ICE often spirits people away, leaving communities guessing about why people are detained. Unless family members, friends or neighbors reach out publicly, she said, it’s “hard to track ‘What happened to this person? Are their rights being protected?’ " Khanbabai is an attorney for Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts doctoral student arrested by ICE in March. She said federal agents kept Öztürk incommunicado for 24 hours following her arrest, barring her from calling her lawyer as agents transported her across multiple state lines, ultimately taking her to a Louisiana detention center. The information blackout meant Khanbabai had to guess where her client was, filing a habeas petition in Massachusetts to challenge Öztürk’s detention. But Öztürk had been moved to Vermont without notice by then; her location at the time of the filing has become central in the government’s legal battle to keep Öztürk in Louisiana. A federal appeals court this week rejected the government’s argument, saying, “Any confusion about where habeas jurisdiction resides arises from the government’s conduct during the twenty-four hours following Öztürk’s arrest.” The appeals court ordered the feds to return Öztürk to Vermont by next week for a hearing. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security indicated it plans to continue to fight the transfer. ICE did not not respond to WBUR’s requests for comment on federal disclosure practices regarding immigrant detainees, which range from total silence to blasting images and allegations on Fox News and from the White House lawn. The agency’s acting Boston field office director, Patricia Hyde, in a recent interview on the Howie Carr Show, claimed that ICE regularly posts arrest details on social media. “We have a Twitter account,” Hyde said. “It will show you daily arrests for all of New England. So that's the most effective way to not just hear that we arrested people, but to see exactly who it is that we arrested and what community we took them out of.” ICE’s Boston X feed showed nothing about the arrest of the men in Watertown as of Thursday. ICE GESTAPO FALSE CLAIMS! ICE has claimed in other cases that its rules are related to security concerns, and privacy for detainees. But Heather Yountz, a lawyer with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, said it’s hard to take that at face value. “ICE can't claim to be protecting the privacy of immigrants while kicking down doors and smashing car windows,” she said. “And ICE is quick to reveal personal data when it suits their interest.” Yountz said top federal officials often post documents about immigrants to portray them as criminals. She said there's power in access to information — and withholding details can make it easier to carry out deportations. She and other immigration lawyers believe ICE should be held to higher disclosure standards. “If families had more information about who was arrested and where they were located earlier in the process, those families would be able to obtain information,” she said. “Attorneys would be able to know where their clients are.” This segment aired on May 8, 2025. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.