12-05-2025
Protesters fill Worcester Common in reaction to ICE raid and arrests by Worcester PD
WORCESTER — With placards in hand and while chanting in unison, protesters filled the Worcester Common May 11 in reaction to the recent immigration raid by federal agents and arrests by Worcester Police on Eureka Street three days before.
Chants like "No ICE" and "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," punctuated the commentary by activists and representatives of organizations as they took turns peaking on a microphone outside the rear City Hall entrance.
Nonprofit organization Mass 50501, which was formed earlier this year as part of a national movement protesting actions of the current federal administration, organized the protest.
"These agents of chaos do not come in with a warrant," Alcor Hilliard of nonprofit Mass50501 said. "They do not explain themselves. They do not respect the law and they do not respect us, their people, who they are sworn to protect.
"You or your mother or your child could be taken away by armed people in plain clothes, put in an unmarked vehicle and our police will come at their beck and call."
The observation of Mother's Day was incorporated in the theme of the May 11 protest, taking inspiration from the fact that the woman detained by the federal agents on Eureka Street, according to reports, was the mother of a 16-year-old; the teenager was one of two people who Worcester Police arrested and charged after a chaotic scene May 8.
Coined "Hands Off Worcester Mothers," the protest kicked off at 2 p.m. and continued until about 3:30 p.m., with speakers taking turns at an amplified microphone. A drum rhythmically followed the chants.
"They chased down a child, they pushed her face into the ground and they dragged her away," Hilliard said. "We wouldn't do that to a dog, let alone a human being."
The name Ferreira de Oliveira was given by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as identification for the federal agents' person of interest May 8.
The statement said the woman had entered the country illegally in August 2022 and that she had been arrested by local police on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant victim.
A spokesperson for the police department said May 11 "there was an arrest months ago," adding, "we generally don't comment on criminal histories of people or speak about arrests post arraignment."
De Oliveira's name does not come up in the federal cases' database.
"People may do illegal things, but people are not illegal in this country," Rebecca Winter of Mass50501 said through a microphone. "We have kidnappings happening in these people are being taken without knowing how they committed a crime. "I'm going to urge you today to please remain nonviolent and that's because it shows the difference between these people kidnapping off of the street and the true American patriots, which you are here today."
Makeshift signs drew parallels between the Trump administration and Nazi Germany, with a sign depicting President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk with brush mustaches.
Others stated, "Kidnapping mothers is a crime," and "(expletive) ICE," among the many that could be seen rising above the heads of those in the crowd.
Holding up a sign that stated, "ICE GTFO" on one side, Laurie Prim of Deerfield said the protest was worth the drive to show up in support of the demonstrators who gathered at Worcester Common, despite it being Mother's Day.
Prim, 55, added that after hearing about the situation on Eureka Street May 8, she "felt sick.
"Local police should be more supportive of community members, not a federal agency coming to kidnap people with no warrants, no due process," Prim said. "People aren't going to tolerate that and we're going to fight back. And that we are in the forefront here, we should stay there and it's up to us to spread that message.
"It's only a matter of time until it happens in my community."
During the protest, Lynn Fanale, 42, set up an easel to paint a photo she had seen online that had captured the moment one of the two people were arrested by police officers on Eureka Street.
She said she wanted to keep her hands busy to "not get too caught up in the emotion of everything.
"The way (officers) navigated the situations is unjust," Fanale said. "There are other ways to treat people and there are ways to go about doing the right thing in the right way."
Following the scene that unfolded on Eureka Street, criticism about the police department coming to the aid of ICE has also colored the conversation, with many citing statements made by police and city leadership in January about the department not assisting with ICE civil detainments.
The evening of May 9, more than 100 people congregated outside City Hall, then marched up Main Street to Worcester Police Department headquarters in protest.
That same day, the patrol officers' union New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911 defended the police officers' actions, saying that officers arriving on scene May 8 were called for federal agents "needing assistance due to a hostile and uncooperative crowd surrounding them."
The statement added that the officers had continued to call for more officers as the situation had escalated, adding that the officers had tried to "deescalate the situation and prevent injury to all present.
"These types of calls for assistance can be extremely dangerous and place officers at a high risk of injury due to the high emotions people feel at the time," the statement says. "Our officers always strive to be as compassionate as we can daily."
The statement alleges that Worcester police officers and federal agents were "threatened, abused and even assaulted on scene," which they give as a reason for the two arrests.
Ashley R. Spring, a School Committee candidate, was also arrested at the scene on Eureka Street with police alleging that she pushed police officers while they were arresting the teenager and that she threw a liquid at officers.
The union's statement also called for an ethics investigation by the city against District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhija after alleging that she "incited aggression towards the police during the incident."
Haxhiaj for a time acted as a shield between authorities and the woman who was sought by ICE, according to video of the confrontation.
"This councilor participated in the conduct of the unruly crowd and eventually assaulted both Worcester police and federal law enforcement officers on scene," says the statement. "Her behavior also emboldened others to act in this manner.
"The conduct of this anti-police activist councilor is deplorable and unacceptable."
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Protesters fill Common in reaction to recent ICE raid, arrests by PD
