Latest news with #Ferreira-DeOliveira
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DHS denies claims of Worcester mother's mistreatment
The Department of Homeland Security is denying claims that a woman arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Worcester has been treated poorly in detainment. ICE agents arrested Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of three, on Worcester's Eureka Street on May 8. She is being detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Ferreira-De Oliveira's lawyer, Paul Toland, told MassLive on Thursday that ICE agents had injured his client's shoulder during the arrest and she has not been provided pain medication. A statement from a senior DHS member received on Friday, however, disputes Toland's claims. 'The allegations about Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira's treatment in detainment are unequivocally false,' the statement reads. 'ICE has provided Ferreira with prompt medical care and services, and she has not filed any grievances or complaints regarding delayed medical care.' The statement went on to say that it is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment when someone enters ICE custody. 'This includes medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,' the statement reads. In a statement provided to Spectrum News 1, the DHS claimed that Ferreira-De Oliveira entered the country illegally in August 2022, which led to ICE custody. Toland told MassLive, however, that the mother of three was paroled and allowed into the country by ICE as she pursued asylum. 'When someone is paroled into the United States, that means they are allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. temporarily, even if they don't have a visa or formal admission,' Toland said. 'It's not a legal entry in the same way as someone who comes in on a visa or green card, but it still allows a person to be here lawfully for a specific period and purpose.' Ferreira-De Oliveira pursued an asylum claim, he said. Once the claim was submitted to the immigration court, the mother was allowed to stay here indefinitely until the asylum application was approved or denied, he added. 'In order to become an asylee, an immigration judge would have to hear the merits of the case and make a determination to approve to deny the claim after an individual hearing,' Toland said. 'You can only apply for asylum at a port of entry or while inside the country.' Toland said he would not further speak about Ferreira-De Oliveira's asylum claim due to privacy concerns. DHS has also called the mother a 'violent criminal illegal alien,' according to a statement provided to WHDH. 'She was arrested by local police for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a pregnant victim,' according to the statement. Court records obtained by MassLive show that Ferreira-De Oliveira was suspected of using a phone-charging cable to strike a pregnant relative in February. She initially appeared in court on Feb. 3, where she pleaded not guilty and paid $500 cash bail, according to court records. Her last court appearance was a pretrial hearing on March 24. Last Tuesday, Judge Zachary Hillman scheduled Ferreira-De Oliveira's trial date for July 18, according to court filings. On the morning of May 8, Eureka Street erupted into screams, chants and yelling as ICE agents apprehended Ferreira-De Oliveira. More than 30 people gathered on Eureka Street, including District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj and disqualified School Committee candidate Ashley Spring. Some of the people confronted the agents, demanding they show a judicial warrant, while other people in the crowd chanted, 'Don't take the mother.' Also at the scene of the arrest were two of Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughters, a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old named Augusta Clara Moura. After 11 a.m., Worcester Police Officers arrived on the scene, telling the crowd over loudspeakers that they were participating in an unlawful assembly. The police also made two arrests on Eureka Street that day: Ferreira-De Oliveira's 17-year-old daughter and Spring. Police present at the scene said that they were called to maintain the peace. Body camera footage and 911 calls related to the Eureka Street arrest were released by the city on May 16 after pressure from the public, including a rally during which residents accused Worcester officials of assisting ICE in arresting Ferreira-De Oliveira. The footage and recording of the 911 calls were posted on the city's YouTube page. The video and audio are taken from body cameras worn by officers Juan Vallejo, Patrick Hanlon and Shauna McGuirk. Officer Hanlon's footage shows District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj walking toward the officers and Ferreira-De Oliveira. Haxhiaj grabbed Ferreira-De Oliveira's arm and pleaded with the agents not to take her. Two of the ICE agents then proceeded to fling the councilor off Ferreira-De Oliveira. As the agents moved to a gold Ford SUV, Haxhiaj then reached out for Ferreira-De Oliveira. Hanlon grabs her hands to pull her back and tells her to stop. 'I cannot stop!' Haxhiaj yelled at the officer. Clara Moura, who was being held back by Spring, reached out to the vehicle and said, 'No' multiple times. Hanlon responded by saying that ICE would offer an explanation. Haxhiaj and Spring yelled that the agents would not explain, with Spring telling Hanlon that ICE does 'not have a judicial warrant.' At around 2 minutes and 25 seconds into the video, an ICE officer says, 'We do not need a judicial warrant for this arrest.' Body camera footage from Hanlon and Officer Juan Vallejo shows Ferreira-De Oliveira's teenage daughter running up to the side of the SUV's front passenger door. Police later claimed she tried to kick the door, but it is difficult to confirm this due to the camera's shakiness and the large police presence. Vallejo and other officers surrounded the girl and moved her to the ground on the street. During the arrest, an officer yells, 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.' Police officers saw Spring push and shove other officers trying to arrest the daughter, according to a police report. 'Officers also observed Ashley directly point at and spray an unknown liquid in a bottle at officers that were on duty attempting to conduct their job,' the report read. It turns out, however, that the 'unknown' liquid was water. At the 2:30 mark in the video, Vallejo approaches Spring and points his finger at her, listing charges for another officer: 'Disorderly, disturbance and she sprayed me in the face with water.' As he moveed away from her, the audio catches Spring saying, 'It was water.' Spring was charged on May 9 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — that being the 'unknown liquid' — along with charges of assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers. Lt. Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department told MassLive on May 17 that he was not aware of the department dropping any of Spring's charges despite police saying the liquid was water in the video. The daughter, meanwhile, was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the Worcester Police Department. After her arrest, she was released from custody and is staying with family friends along with her 21-year-old sister, Clara Moura, Clara Moura's 3-month-old son and her other sister, who is also a minor. In a statement on May 16, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced that the Worcester Police Department is requesting that the court dismiss the case against Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Even though the department wishes to have the case against the daughter dismissed, Saucier noted, 'It is important to emphasize that assaulting or interfering with law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties is never acceptable.' What happened on Eureka Street has left some Worcester residents outraged over the city's response. During a rally on May 13, many protesters accused the Worcester Police Department of collaborating with ICE. The protest was held outside of City Hall, which was locked that evening. Protesters had planned to attend the city council meeting that was to be held inside the building, but it was announced the day before that it would be moved to a virtual format. During the meeting, Mayor Joseph Petty explained that the switch from an in-person to virtual-only meeting was made due to city officials receiving 'threats of violence.' Those who did attend the virtual meeting lashed out at the council. 'There are two explanations for this,' Marcus Palumbo of Clark University said at the meeting. 'Either you, the council, have completely lost control over the police department, or you are actively complicit in their actions.' On May 16, City Manager Eric D. Batista issued an executive order to establish 'guidelines for local response and involvement in federal enforcement of immigration laws and operations, including investigations and civil detainments performed by ICE officers,' according to a statement from Batista's office. 'Enforcement of immigration laws is within the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the municipality, and as such, municipal resources shall not be used toward that end,' the city statement continued. 'The municipality and the WPD are committed to promoting safety in the community regardless of immigration status.' On May 21, Batista was faced with disruptions from protesters during his State of the City Address, one carried a sign with a doctored image of Batista wearing an ICE vest, and another played audio from the arrest on repeat. Councilor Haxhiaj has received both praise and scorn for her actions on Eureka Street. Councilor-at-Large and Council Vice Chair Khrystian King said she 'rose to the moment.' 'She acted urgently to defend a fellow mother, a woman in crisis, a young teen girl, and constituents she was elected to serve,' King wrote. 'In doing so, she stood up against a system that has too often trampled due process and constitutional rights — especially under the Trump administration. That's not grandstanding. That's moral leadership.' The New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911 and the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 504, however, released two statements on May 9 and May 10, respectively, both blasting Haxhiaj for 'physically interfering and physically assaulting' Worcester police officers. 'We stand with our fellow Worcester Police Patrol Officers Union Local 911 and demand an ethics investigation into the egregious actions and behavior of Councilor Haxhiaj,' the letter from Local 504 reads. Three city councilors have made statements since the body camera footage was released. 'The footage released today confirms this: Worcester Police officers did not aid ICE in any detainment,' said District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson. 'Instead, they responded with professionalism, compassion and restraint in a complex and challenging situation.' Councilor-at-Large and Public Safety Committee Chair Kathleen Toomey criticized the protesters who confronted the ICE agents, claiming that they 'crossed a line' and did little to help the mother's two daughters at the scene. 'The videos I saw reinforced for me that had the protesters stayed on the sidewalk and not interfered with federal officers, we would be in a very different space,' Toomey said. 'However, they exacerbated the situation, and instead of focusing their efforts [on] supporting the daughters of the woman apprehended, they crossed the line by obstructing and physically assaulting both ICE and WPD officers, which is unacceptable.' Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, however, wrote an Instagram post on Sunday saying they could not believe the city administration and the Worcester Police Department's recounting of the events on Eureka Street. They also demanded the release of all police incident reports. 'We will not stop holding WPD accountable,' Nguyen wrote. 'We must abolish ICE.' ICE agents injured Worcester mother during raid, won't give her meds, attorney says Shadow of ICE arrest hangs over Worcester 'State of the City' speech Worcester councilor deposits large donation haul after confronting police at ICE raid Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
ICE agents injured Worcester mother during raid, won't give her meds, attorney says
Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of three arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Worcester this month, has a damaged shoulder and is not receiving any pain medication at the facility where she is currently detained, according to her lawyer. Attorney Paul Toland told MassLive that Ferreira-De Oliveira is currently wearing a sling while she is presently detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Ferreira-De Oliveira is being held following her arrest on May 8 at Eureka Street in Worcester. Toland believes that her shoulder was damaged due to excessive force used by ICE agents who apprehended her that day. He is not aware of the extent of the damage to her shoulder. 'Wyatt Detention is a very depressing detention center,' Toland said. 'With barbed wire everywhere. She's not even getting pain medication in there for her pain.' The lawyer added that Ferreira-De Oliveira had been frequently moved to different cells at the facility, so she would not see or hear those expressing support for her outside of the detention center. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the Wyatt Detention Center did not respond immediately to requests for comments on Thursday. Toland said he was assigned Ferreira-De Oliveira's case on Friday, May 16, and met with her for the first time face-to-face this week. The mother will likely remain in Rhode Island as her case will be held at the Boston Immigration Court, according to Toland. An individual hearing will be held for Ferreira-De Oliveira but a judge has not yet set a date, Toland told MassLive. 'Typically if a person is detained though, their final individual hearing is heard within 1.5 to 2.5 months,' Toland explained. Ferreira-De Oliveira is also not in immediate danger of being deported, Toland added. The lawyer told MassLive the case does not have a timeline as of yet and that he could not disclose any legal strategy. In a statement provided to Spectrum News 1, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that Ferreira-De Oliveira entered the country illegally in August 2022, which led to ICE taking her into custody, Toland told MassLive, however, that the mother of three was paroled and allowed into the country by ICE as she pursued asylum. Asylum is a form of protection that is granted to individuals fleeing their home country due to persecution or fear of persecution based on specific grounds such as race, religion, nationality or political opinion, according to the nonprofit organization the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 'When someone is paroled into the United States, that means they are allowed to enter and stay in the U.S. temporarily even if they don't have a visa or formal admission,' Toland explained. 'It's not a legal entry in the same way as someone who comes in on a visa or green card but it still allows a person to be here lawful for a specific period and purpose.' In the case of Ferreira-De Oliveira, Toland said that she pursued an asylum claim. Once that asylum claim was submitted to the immigration court, the mother was allowed to stay here indefinitely until the asylum application was approved or denied, the lawyer said. 'In order to become an asylee, an immigration judge would have to hear the merits of the case and make a determination to approve to deny the claim after an individual hearing,' Toland said. 'You can only apply for asylum at a port of entry or while inside the country.' Toland said he would not further speak about Ferreira-De Oliveira's asylum claim due to privacy concerns. In addition to the claims of illegal entry, ICE claims that the mother is a 'violent criminal illegal alien,' according to a statement provided to WHDH. 'She was arrested by local police for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a pregnant victim,' according to the statement. Court records obtained by MassLive read that Ferreira-De Oliveira was suspected of using a phone-charging cable to strike a pregnant relative in February. She initially appeared in court on Feb. 3, where she pleaded not guilty and paid $500 cash bail, according to court records. Her last court appearance was a pre-trial hearing on March 24. Last Tuesday, Judge Zachary Hillman scheduled Ferreira-De Oliveira's trial date for July 18, according to court filings. The sounds of screaming and chants echoed throughout Worcester's Eureka Street on the morning of May 8. As ICE apprehended Ferreira-De Oliveira, more than 30 people, including District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, demanded the agents not take her and show a warrant for the arrest. Worcester Police Officers were also at the scene, and they arrested Ferreira-De Oliveira's teenage daughter and now-disqualified Worcester School Committee candidate, Ashley Spring. Augusta Clara Moura, Ferreira-De Oliveira's 21-year-old daughter and mother of a 3-month-old baby, said the arrest of her mother started after her partner honked at an undercover car with ICE agents. Through Clara Moura's attorney, Andrew George Lattarulo, Clara Moura said that her partner, Samarone Alves Ferreira-De Souza, was arrested by federal agents the day before ICE took her mother. Ferreira-De Souza, who is the father of the 3-month-old, had honked at a car that cut him off while he was driving to work, according to Clara Moura. The car turned out to be an undercover ICE vehicle and agents arrested him. 'He had committed no crime,' according to Clara Moura. Ferreira-De Souza is currently being held at the Pine Prairie Correctional Facility in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). Lattarulo previously told MassLive he is providing legal representation for Clara Moura's partner. A day after her partner was arrested, Clara Moura said ICE came to her home, telling her to return her partner's car and sign immigration paperwork. She said she left her house with her 17-year-old sister and her baby, intending to comply with the order. 'That's when ICE stopped my car and told me I was under arrest,' Clara Moura said. 'Since I was with my baby, I called my mother to come take my son.' When her mother arrived, ICE agents attempted and succeeded in arresting her. Clara Moura claims that ICE agents also attempted to take her baby from her but they backed down due to protests from neighbors. Lattarulo told MassLive last week that ICE threatened to arrest Clara Moura and her 17-year-old sister, an account that matches reporting from Rolling Stone Magazine, which said that Clara Moura and her sister were used as 'bait' for ICE to arrest their mother. Clara Moura, who saw her mother be apprehended by the agents that morning, launched a GoFundMe last week explaining the events that led up to her mother's arrest. Toland said he could not comment on the reporting from Rolling Stone magazine or Clara Moura's account. On May 16, Worcester officials released the body camera footage and 911 calls from the May 8 arrest following pressure from the public, including a rally during which residents accused Worcester officials of assisting ICE in arresting Ferreira-De Oliveira. The footage and audio are taken from body cameras worn by officers Juan Vallejo, Patrick Hanlon and Shauna McGuirk. In Officer Hanlon's footage, District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj is shown walking toward the officers and Ferreira-De Oliveira. Haxhiaj grabbed Ferreira-De Oliveira's arm and pleaded with the agents not to take her. Two of the ICE agents then proceeded to fling the councilor off Ferreira-De Oliveira. As the agents moved to a gold Ford SUV, Haxhiaj then reached out for Ferreira-De Oliveira. Hanlon grabs her hands to pull her back and tells her to stop. 'I cannot stop!' Haxhiaj yelled at the officer. Clara Moura, who is being held back by School Committee candidate Ashley Spring, reaches out to the vehicle and says 'no' multiple times. Hanlon responds by saying that ICE will offer an explanation. Haxhiaj and Spring yell that the agents will not explain, with Spring telling Hanlon that ICE does 'not have a judicial warrant.' At around 2 minutes and 25 seconds into the footage, an ICE officer says, 'We do not need a judicial warrant for this arrest.' Body camera footage from Hanlon and Officer Juan Vallejo showed Ferreira-De Oliveira's teenage daughter run up to the side of the SUV's front passenger door. Police later claimed she tried to kick the door, but it is difficult to confirm this due to the shakiness of the cameras and the large police presence. Vallejo and other officers surrounded the girl and moved her to the ground on the street. During the arrest, an officer yells, 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.' Police officers saw Spring push and shove other officers trying to arrest the daughter, according to a police report. 'Officers also observed Ashley directly point at and spray an unknown liquid in a bottle at officers that were on duty attempting to conduct their job,' the report read. It turns out, however, that the 'unknown' liquid was water. At the 2:30 mark in the video, Vallejo approaches Spring and points his finger at her, listing charges for another officer: 'Disorderly, disturbance, and she sprayed me in the face with water.' As he moves away from her, the audio catches Spring saying, 'It was water.' Spring was charged on May 9 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — that being the 'unknown liquid' — along with charges of assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers. Lt. Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department told MassLive on Saturday that he was not aware of the department dropping any of Spring's charges despite police saying the liquid was water in the video. The daughter, meanwhile, was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the Worcester Police Department. After her arrest, she was released from custody and is currently staying with family friends along with her 21-year-old sister, Augusta Clara Moura, Clara Moura's 3-month-old son and her other sister, who is also a minor. In a statement on May 16, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced that the Worcester Police Department is requesting that the court dismiss the case against Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Even though the department wishes to have the case against the daughter dismissed, Saucier noted, however, that 'it is important to emphasize that assaulting or interfering with law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties is never acceptable.' Additionally, City Manager Eric D. Batista issued an executive order on May 16 that establishes 'guidelines for local response and involvement in federal enforcement of immigration laws and operations, including investigations and civil detainments performed by ICE officers.' During his State of the City address on Wednesday, Batista spoke about the events of May 8 and acknowledged those who are pained by what happened. 'I know that many of you listening tonight, and residents across Worcester are in pain after the events on Eureka Street on May 8,' said Batista after he took the podium at the Jean McDonough Arts Center's BrickBox Theater. 'You are not alone in that pain.' Protesters interrupted Batista's speech, with one carrying a sign with a doctored image of Batista wearing an ICE vest and another playing audio from the arrest on repeat. Shadow of ICE arrest hangs over Worcester 'State of the City' speech Worcester councilor deposits large donation haul after confronting police at ICE raid Worcester Diocese to close 2 churches, merge 3 parishes Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
VIDEO: Worcester police knew ‘unknown liquid' sprayed during ICE arrest was water
Worcester police charged a woman they arrested during a chaotic demonstration following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, after saying she sprayed them with an 'unknown liquid.' But body camera video released by the department shows that they already knew it was just water. On May 8, Worcester School Committee candidate Ashley R. Spring was arrested by Worcester Police Officers on Eureka Street while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested a 40-year-old Brazilian mother of three at the same location. She was charged on May 9 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — the 'unknown liquid' — along with charges of assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers. Lt. Sean Murtha of the WPD told MassLive on Saturday he is not aware of the department dropping any of Spring's charges despite police saying the liquid was water in the video. The street had erupted into chaos that morning as more than 30 people, including Spring, confronted, yelled and demanded to see a warrant for the arrest of Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira. Worcester Police Officers were also at the scene, and they arrested Spring along with Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Worcester officials released the body camera footage from the incident following pressure from the public, including a rally during which residents accused Worcester officials of assisting ICE in arresting Ferreira-De Oliveira. Along with releasing the footage and 911 call from that day, City Manager Eric Batista issued an executive order to establish 'guidelines for local response and involvement in federal enforcement of immigration laws and operations including investigations and civil detainments performed by ICE officers,' according to a statement from Batista's office. Police officers saw Spring push and shove other officers trying to arrest the daughter, according to a police report. 'Officers also observed Ashley directly point at and spray an unknown liquid in a bottle at officers that were on duty attempting to conduct their job,' the report read. But Officer Juan Vallejo, who was the one who said he was sprayed, said in the video it was just water. Vallejo was present on Eureka Street and was involved in the arrest of Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Footage and audio from Vallejo's body camera, which shows him and other officers surrounding the daughter and moving her to the ground, was made available to the public on May 16. The footage and audio of two other officers, Officer Patrik Hanlon and Officer Shauna McGuirk, were also made public on Friday and uploaded onto the city's YouTube page. During the arrest, an officer yells, 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.' Following the arrest of the daughter, Vallejo turns his attention to Spring, who is standing behind him and being handcuffed by another officer. At the 2:30-mark in the video, Vallejo approaches Spring and points his finger at her, listing charges for another officer: 'Disorderly, disturbance, and she sprayed me in the face with water.' As he moves away from her, the audio catches Spring saying, 'It was water.' Footage from Vallejo and McGuirk, who was also seen arresting the daughter, did not show Spring approach the officers. Judge Janet McGuiggan entered a not-guilty plea on Spring's behalf. Spring was released on her own personal recognizance and is scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial hearing on June 23. Following the arrest, Spring appeared at a protest in front of City Hall on May 13, calling out the actions of ICE, the Worcester Police Department (WPD) and the city's political leaders. She criticized the city hall being closed to the public that night, the same night the protesters planned to attend the city council meeting before it was switched to a virtual format. 'While they may be afraid, we are not afraid,' Spring said of Worcester's leaders. The city council meeting switched formats after the rally was announced. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said city officials received 'threats of violence.' The daughter of the mother was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the WPD. Following her arrest, she was released from custody and is currently staying with family friends along with her 21-year-old sister, Augusta Clara Moura, Clara Moura's 3-month-old son, and her other sister, who is also a minor. In a statement on May 16, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced that the WPD is requesting that the court dismiss the case against Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Even though the department wishes to have the case against the daughter dismissed, Saucier noted, however, that 'it is important to emphasize that assaulting or interfering with law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties is never acceptable.' City Manager Eric Batista also announced Friday an executive order on how the WPD responds to federal arrests. 'Enforcement of immigration laws is within the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the municipality and as such, municipal resources shall not be used toward that end,' according to a city statement.'The municipality and the WPD are committed to promoting safety in the community regardless of immigration status.' As for Ferreira-De Oliveira, she is currently being detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, R.I., according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). Late home run lifts Buffalo past Worcester Red Sox Mass. weather: Severe weather, chance of tornado, hail this afternoon Smashed windows, street abductions: ICE gets attention with Mass. arrests Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Are you threatening me?': Video displays Worcester councilor's confrontation with police
Body camera footage taken by three Worcester police officers gives a partial look into the chaotic circumstances of a mother arrested by federal agents, her daughter's arrest and a confrontation with a city councilor demanding officers let them both go. On May 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira on Eureka Street. After a crowd of around 25 people surrounded the ICE agents who detained her, one agent called 911 and asked for police assistance. The footage and audio were uploaded online into a playlist on the city's YouTube channel on Friday. Officer Patrik Hanlon's body camera captured ICE agents arresting Ferreira-De Oliveira, 40. Surrounded by officers, City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj of District 5 can be seen walking up to the officers and Ferreira-De Oliveira. Haxhiaj grabbed Ferreira-De Oliveira's arm and pleaded with them not to take her before two ICE agents flung her off Ferreira-De Oliveira. 'Do not take her!' Haxhiaj yelled at the officers. 'Stay back,' an ICE agent quietly told her. As agents took the Ferreira-De Oliveira away, Haxhiaj followed the agents and called them cowards for arresting an 'innocent woman.' 'You do not show any warrants, get out of our neighborhood!' she yelled. As agents moved to a gold Ford SUV, Haxhiaj reached out for Ferreira-De Oliveira before Hanlon grabbed her hands to pull her back, called out her first name and told her to stop. 'I cannot stop!' she yelled at the officer. Body camera footage taken by Hanlon and Officer Juan Vallejo showed Ferreira-De Oliveira's 17-year-old daughter run up to the side of the SUV's front passenger door. While police later said she tried to kick the door, the shakiness of the cameras and large police presence makes it difficult to confirm this. ICE agents and Worcester police, including Vallejo, surrounded the girl. Vallejo told her repeatedly to 'stop,' then yelled, 'You're going to get injured!' 'Don't talk to me!' the girl yelled back as she ran away from the officers. An ICE agent ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her. Vallejo did the same as the girl started yelling. 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace,' another officer is heard to have said as the girl's screams became louder. The officer yelled again that she was under arrest. Vallejo and Officer Shauna McGuirk's camera made contact with multiple bodies, including the girl, before she was seen on the ground with several officers behind her. Officers can then be seen handcuffing the girl. McGuirk was one of the officers who took the girl, who can be heard sobbing, away. A few minutes later, Haxhiaj walked up to Vallejo. 'She's my constituent!' she said. 'People who are under arrest are under arrest,' Vallejo replied. 'She is not, she hasn't done anything,' Haxhiaj replied. 'Let her go, she's traumatized. Why are you holding her? Let her go.' 'Well, you can go to the station when she gets her bail, OK?' Vallejo said. 'She's done nothing, why are you arresting her?' Haxhiaj yelled back. Vallejo then grabbed Haxhiaj's shoulders and arms to move her back and told her to back away before he turned her around. She asked other officers, 'Are you threatening me?' 'Back away, get your hands off of us,' Vallejo told her before he stepped away, as another officer can be heard saying to Vallejo, 'Jesus, Juan.' As the scene cleared, with Vallejo, ICE and ATF agents standing in the street, people can be heard yelling expletives and telling them to leave. McGuirk walked with other officers and the girl to the end of Eureka Street. The girl can be heard pleading to people on the street in Portuguese. Smashed windows, street abductions: ICE gets attention with Mass. arrests Worcester releases body cam footage of woman's arrest by ICE agents Worcester to release body camera footage of police response to ICE arrest Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Living in fear': Daughter of woman taken by ICE in Worcester sets up GoFundMe to support family
The daughter of a woman who was detained by federal agents in Worcester last week, which has led to protests and tensions in the city, created a GoFundMe campaign to support her and her family. Augusta Clara Moura, 21, who set up the fundraiser, explained what happened leading up to the incident on Eureka Street on May 8. That day, her mother, Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with Clara's sister and Worcester School Committee candidate Ashley Spring both arrested by Worcester police in connection with the incident. 'Everything began the day before, when ICE arrested my partner [Samarone Alves Ferreira-De Souza] — the father of my 3-month-old son — while he was driving to work," Clara Moura wrote. 'He had committed no crime. His only 'mistake' was honking at a car that had cut him off. That vehicle turned out to be an undercover ICE car, and agents decided to arrest him.' Read more: Honking at undercover ICE car set off Worcester arrest firestorm, family claims Ferreira-De Souza is currently being held at the Pine Prairie Correctional Facility in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). On the morning of May 8, ICE agents came to Clara Moura's home and told her to sign immigration papers and 'demanding I return my partner's car,' she wrote. Clara Moura, her baby and her 17-year-old sister left the house in a car and ICE agents stopped them and told her she was under arrest. 'Since I was with my baby, I called my mother to come take my son,' Clara Moura wrote. When Ferreira-De Oliveira arrived, ICE agents detained her, her daughter continued. At 11 a.m. that day, Ferreira-De Oliveira was placed in a car in the middle of the streets, according to Jill Phillips of Worcester, who was at the scene. Worcester police were called as people surrounded ICE agents and yelled, 'Where is the warrant?' Ferreira-De Oliveira's other daughter, carrying Clara Moura's baby, stood in front of the car and tried to stop it, police said in a previous statement. She handed the baby to another woman before she ran up to the car and kicked the passenger side door as it drove away. Officers pushed her to the ground and arrested her for reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. 'They even tried to take my baby from me, but thanks to neighbors who recorded and protested, they backed down,' Clara Moura wrote in the GoFundMe description. Andrew Georges Lattarulo, Clara Moura's lawyer, told MassLive on Thursday that ICE threatened to arrest Clara Moura and her 17-year-old sister, an account that matches exclusive reporting from Rolling Stone Magazine, which reported that Clara Moura and her sister were used as 'bait' for ICE to arrest their mother. Clara Moura's sister has since been released from custody and is now with family friends, along with Clara Moura, Clara Moura's baby and another sister who is also a child. Ferreira-De Oliveira, who comes from Brazil, is currently being detained at the Wyatt Detention Center, in Central Falls, R.I., according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS). 'Now I am living in fear,' Clara Moura wrote. 'I'm staying with friends, unable to return home or retrieve any of my belongings or my baby's things. I cannot work, and I'm struggling to survive. Please consider supporting me and my family during this nightmare.' So far, the fundraiser set up on Wednesday has received two donations totaling $70, with a $45,000 goal. Donations will go toward food, clothes, shelter, legal fees, bail 'and other urgent expenses,' Clara Moura wrote. 'No amount is too small. Your support means the world right now.' 'Thank you for standing with us,' Clara Moura wrote at the end of the GoFundMe's description. Honking at undercover ICE car set off Worcester arrest firestorm, family claims GoFundMe created to support family of boy killed in Boston school bus crash GoFundMe raises money to send body of construction worker killed in Mass. to Ecuador Read the original article on MassLive.
