Worcester moves City Council meeting to Zoom
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A protest was held in Worcester, demanding ICE "stop taking mothers" after immigration officials detained a woman last week.
A rally will be held at 2 p.m. on May 11 on Worcester Common to protest the immigration raid by federal agents and subsequent arrests by Worcester Police on Eureka Street. The "emergency protest" is being put on by the recently formed nonprofit organization Mass 50501.
Worcester's city council meeting will be remote due to "threats of violence" made to elected officials and city staff in the wake of a woman's arrest by ICE agents last week, the mayor said.
Some ICE altercations in Greater Boston turned violent last week, spurring a fear in local immigrant communities that this may be round-two of the "hell" Trump's border czar promised to bring.
Two police unions in Worcester are accusing City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj of District 5 of being aggressive and physically assaulting officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest on Eureka Street on May 8.
Tensions rose in Worcester as ICE agents tried arresting a mother, sparking community outrage and a chaotic scene involving police.
Footage captured Thursday in Worcester shows a group of residents chanting “don’t take the mother!” and “no warrant!” after a woman was led into an SUV by uniformed ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Before the vehicle can pull away, other women are seen placing their hands on the front hood of an SUV and screaming in protest.