WORCESTER – Agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency conducted the seizure of one person on Eureka Street in Worcester, and officers of the Worcester Police Department arrested two at the scene on Thursday, May 8.
District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, who was at the scene which is inside her district, says the agents refused to identify themselves and produced no warrant before taking the mother of two into custody.
Videos provided to This Week in Worcester and others posted across social media show several city residents at the scene.
In response to an inquiry by This Week in Worcester, a spokesperson from the Worcester Police Department (WPD) says that its officers were not initially at the scene, but responded to a call reporting that a hostile crowd surrounded federal agents.
At least one video posted to social media shows that a resident opposing the warrantless seizure of the woman also appeared to call police at the request of another resident at the scene.
The WPD says its officers arrested two, “as a result of their behavior.”
Witnesses at the scene tell This Week in Worcester that WPD arrested the teen daughter of the woman taken by ICE and Ashley Spring, a Worcester resident and candidate for the Worcester School Committee.
When ICE approached the woman they seized, she was holding an infant child.
According to multiple witnesses at the scene, WPD officers supported ICE agents leaving the scene with the seized woman inside their vehicle.
On Nov. 14, 2024, Mayor Joe Petty and City Manager Eric Batista issued a joint statement which said, in part, “The municipality will never target individuals based on their immigration status.” In other statements, both indicated the city would not support the apprehension of anyone without a judicial warrant.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available, including video from the scene.
