FITCHBURG, MASS. (WHDH) - Fitchburg police said officers were called by ICE agents on two separate occasions Thursday morning, requesting assistance when a crowd formed during a traffic stop that turned into an attemped arrest, according to the Fitchburg police department.
Quejanae Beavers-Hatter said she woke up around 6:15 a.m. to commotion outside her apartment on Kimball Street. She said she saw federal agents pull a man out of an SUV by his neck, then put their hands in the SUV to separate a woman and child inside.
Officials said the woman resisted, and it took two hours before she got out of the car.
“They were literally trying to feed their baby while locking arms. It was a lot to see, not gonna lie,” said Beavers-Hatter.
Fitchburg police said they were called to the scene at approximately 7:10 a.m. by ICE, and dispatched one Patrol Officer and one Patrol Supervisor to determine the nature of the request.
In a statement, the department wrote, “The role of the Fitchburg Police Department in this type of situation is to keep the peace. Keeping the peace includes making sure both the public as a whole as well as the federal law enforcement agencts are safe. The Fitchburg Police Department does not enforce federal immigration laws, nor do we interfere with the lawful actions of other law enforcement agencies. Once it was determined that the agents were in no danger, all members of the Fitchburg Police Department cleared the scene.”
However, Fitchburg police said they were called a second time by ICE at approximately 8:03 a.m. by agents who stated that a crowd had gathered and agents were in danger.
Responding officers confirmed that, “the situation was hostile” and dispatched several units to keep the peace. A portion of Kimball Street was also briefly closed to traffic to ensure everyone’s safety.
“FPD is completely different than ICE they could of been like, ‘you just can’t be here without a warrant’ but they just let it happen,” said Michele Devoe, who witnessed the arrest. “I wished they had helped more.”
Fitchburg police said the woman was taken into federal custody and the man and child were allowed to leave. Police said they then cleared the scene without taking any enforcement actions.
“I just saw the little girl crying and looking so confused and it just broke my heart,” said Beavers-Hatter. “And then I watched her have to say goodbye to her daughter, and watch the father, you know, go through all that, and it was a lot watching their faces. I don’t think in our constiution it ever said it’s okay to literally drag someone out of the car.”
“I get why if you come in here illegally you have to be taken out, but there’s so many other ways we can do that,” said Devoe. “It’s just not fair. She had a little girl with her. It’s not okay to rip apart a family.”
7NEWS reached out to ICE to discover the nature of this arrest, but has not yet heard back.
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