Local and federal officials are addressing recent immigration arrests in Massachusetts and around the country.
The U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley threatened arrests and prosecution for those who try to interfere in immigration enforcement actions. However, many from Washington, D.C. to Worcester and Waltham are complaining ICE agents are taking it too far.
This comes in the wake of a chaotic immigration arrest in Worcester last week. Two people in the unruly crowd, including a school committee candidate, were arrested as ICE agents took a woman into custody.
“The interference with ICE operations around Massachusetts has been disturbing, to say the least. This conduct poses significant public and officer safety risks. It is conduct that should be vilified rather than glorified. I will not stand idly by,” Foley said.
The warning comes as Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons is tangled up with critics in Congress.
“What we’ve seen from the Trump administration should send chills down the spine of every American,” said Rep. Veronica Escobar, of Texas.
“How can Americans trust an organization that operates like this, that treats them like this?” said Rep. Lauren Underwood, of Illinois.
Lyons, formerly of the Boston field office, made no apologies, insisting agents are prioritizing arrests of dangerous illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes.
“After years of being told to stand down instead of investigating, arresting, and removing the most dangerous criminal aliens from our communities, ICE’s brave officers and agents are now allowed to do what they signed up for,” Lyons said.
A Waltham city councilor has joined local volunteers monitoring and sometimes filming ICE agents they worry are going overboard.
Councilor Colleen Bradley-MacArthur says heavily armed masked men and women with markings that said only “police” were recently in her community.
“They blocked off the streets. They’re standing there with these masks. I’m scared when I come upon the scene,” Bradley-MacArthur said.
7News reached out to ICE to ask whether its agents were in Waltham, and if so, why they did not properly identify themselves. ICE has not yet responded.
Waltham police said they were not involved.
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