posted May 09, 2025 10:17 AM            

A chaotic new video shows President Donald Trump's immigration enforcers and local law enforcement clashing with residents in a Worcester neighborhood, including a mother holding her baby.

The tense scenes unfolded on Thursday morning as video appears to show agents pushing residents protesting as federal immigration agents attempt to detain a woman.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Worcester Police Department for comment outside of normal office hours.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump is carrying out large-scale removals as part of a hardline mass deportation policy he promised during the 2024 campaign. He vowed to go after serious criminals.

Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases of nonviolent immigrants without legal status that have been detained by ICE. The immigration raids have raised concerns over due process, racial profiling, and the detention of individuals with long-standing ties to their communities.

ICE has been in the spotlight, and its conduct has come under scrutiny.

What To Know

Two individuals, one of whom is running for the Worcester School Committee, were arrested after a crowd gathered around federal immigration agents attempting to detain a woman in Worcester, according to officials and advocacy groups.

Advocates say that an immigrant family in Worcester was approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents twice this week. The father was taken into custody on Wednesday, and agents returned Thursday, arresting the mother without presenting a warrant, according to the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts.

Neighbors reported seeing federal agents interacting with a mother and her two children—a teenage girl and a 1-year-old—near Eureka Street around 7 a.m. on Thursday, according to the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network.

Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was among the residents who shielded the mother and her children by forming a "human circle" around them to prevent federal agents from accessing them.

Worcester police said they responded to the area around 11:13 a.m. after receiving a report of approximately 25 individuals gathered around a federal agent. A separate caller reported that immigration agents were declining to present a warrant to those present.

"Worcester Police officers responded to preserve the peace and prevent anyone from being injured," officers said in a statement.

In videos of the incident posted online, a person believed to be the teenage girl can be heard screaming as several officers restrain her. In a separate moment, another individual is seen pushing officers, who then push her into a front yard before taking her into custody. At one point a woman holding a baby can be seen remonstrating with the officers.

According to LUCE, community members raised their voices in protest to try to stop federal agents from taking the family into custody. The group, maintains a hotline for reporting immigration enforcement in Massachusetts.

What People Are Saying

Haxhiaj 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 said in a statement: "As someone who prides themselves on leading a welcoming city, 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.

"Simply put, we cannot have this happen in our community."

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista said in a statement: "It is the municipality and department's responsibility to uphold the law and protect the peace of our community. The series of events was no doubt disturbing and the footage of a family being separated is harrowing…My heart goes out to all those impacted by today's events and the growing tension we all feel due to the national political climate."

WPD said in a statement on social media: "When officers arrived on scene, they observed a chaotic scene with several federal agents from various agencies attempting to take a female into custody. Federal agents had placed this female under arrest and were attempting to leave in a vehicle. The crowd was unruly, and several people were putting their hands on federal agents and Worcester officers in an attempt to keep the vehicle and the arrestee from leaving. Worcester officers attempted to deescalate the situation and keep everyone safe."

What Happens Next

posted May 09, 2025 08:16 PM            

Nothing to see here, folks!

posted May 11, 2025 02:19 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
Why am I not surprised? Every single time one of these stories is released, it’s not what it alleges to be. Every. Single. Time.

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