Latest news with #Haxhiaj
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Worcester City Councilor facing charges for alleged actions during ICE operation in May
A Worcester City councilor is facing charges for her alleged conduct during an federal immigration operation back in May. Police confirm that District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was charged following an ICE arrest on Eureka Street on May 8. Police did not specify what charges she's facing or when she will appear in court. In a statement, Haxhiaj said she tried to do the right thing. 'I am a mother, an immigrant and elected leader who attempted, along with other Worcester residents, to protect a traumatized young person, two mothers and an infant,' she said. 'I did the humane thing to do in this situation, nothing more, nothing less.' 'Chaotic situation': Two arrested, woman detained as crowd surrounds federal agents in Worcester On that day, a large crowd encircled ICE agents attempting to detain a a Brazilian woman. Video from the scene shows several ICE agents and other law enforcement entities being followed by a crowd while they took the woman into custody. A Worcester School Committee candidate, Ashley Spring, was arrested at the scene for allegedly attacking a police officer. A juvenile female was also arrested for allegedly endangering a child and resisting arrest. Haxhiaj said she is a former refugee who escaped violence living in both Albania and Greece. She says her life calling is to help others. 'Protecting the most vulnerable should not lead to being targeted and vilified,' Haxhiaj said. 'And working to improve policing in our city by calling for oversight and accountability should not provoke political grandstanding and attacks. I look forward to responding to these charges in court.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Worcester councilor deposits large donation haul after confronting police at ICE raid
Three days after she confronted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting a Brazilian mother of three on Eureka Street, District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj recorded some of her best fundraising numbers for her re-election campaign. A deposit report recorded May 11, posted on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance of Massachusetts's website, finds that Haxhiaj's campaign deposited $3,691 in total donations — about three times what she had brought in the entire previous month. Donations ranged as low as $5 to as high as $250, the report reads. From April 1 to April 30, Haxhiaj only raised $1,161.00. Her best fundraising month in 2025 was February, when she raised $4,799.00. The nearly $4,000 in donations comes three days after she and other members of her district confronted ICE for their arrest of Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira as well as local Worcester police at the scene. Kevin Ksen, Haxhiaj's campaign manager, told MassLive he wasn't sure whether a majority of the donations were made before or after the events on Eureka Street. He told MassLive that the last time the campaign sent a fundraising email out was on May 7. On May 8, a Facebook post by Worcester resident Chrissi Bates expressing support for Haxhiaj received 13 shares. 'Thank you for your bravery & service during the Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in today, Etel!' Bates writes. Another Worcester resident, Yenni Desroches, posted a 'Donate To Haxhiaj' link on Facebook on May 11, encouraging others to donate to the councilor on Mother's Day. It's unclear how many people used the donation link shared by Desroches or Bates to donate to Haxhiaj. In body camera footage released by the Worcester Police Department on May 16, Haxhiaj can be seen yelling at ICE officers not to take Ferreira-De Oliveria, and telling them she had a right to be at the scene to help her constituents. Haxhiaj also confronted members of the Worcester Police Department who arrived at the scene and arrested Ferreira-De Oliveria's daughter and now disqualified school committee candidate, Ashley Spring. Officer Juan Vallejo, whose body camera footage and audio were released to the public by the department, was one of the officers responsible for arresting the daughter. In the footage, Haxhiaj walks up to Vallejo and tells him, 'she's my constituent!' '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 grabs Haxhiaj's shoulders and arms to move her back, telling her to back away before turning her around. The councilor 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.' The New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911 and the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 504 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. Jose Rivera, who is running against Haxhiaj in the November election, said he was disappointed with his opponent. 'In the video I heard the councilor say her job as a city councilor is to protect her constituent,' Rivera said in a statement on Facebook. 'That is not a city councilor's job. City councilors are not public safety officials and it is certainly not their job to interfere with an ICE arrest, whether they believe it was legal or not.' Supporters of Haxhiaj, however, said the councilor's actions were a display of leadership. 'Shoutout to Etel Haxhiaj who showed REAL leadership and bravery,' Lindiana Flores Semidei of Worcester wrote on Facebook, May 8. 'No family should be ripped apart like this.' City Councilor-at-Large and Council Vice Chair Khrystian King said in a statement on May 11 that even if people disagree with her response, Haxhiaj '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.' Worcester Diocese to close 2 churches, merge 3 parishes Worcester schools candidate arrested at ICE raid ruled ineligible to be on ballot Federal hiring freeze leads to closures at beloved Central Mass. park Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Days later, tensions are high after ICE arrests Brazilian national accused of assault in Worcester
The video taken outside in a Worcester neighborhood is gaining national attention. It shows ice agents detaining 40-year-old Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira, a Brazilian national, last week. Neighbors and city leaders rushed the scene, resulting in Worcester police arresting two people including a School Committee candidate. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Boston 25 News that Ferreira de Oliveira is in the country illegally and faces previous criminal assault charges. An ICE official says Worcester police arrested Ferreira de Oliveira back on Feb. 1 on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant woman. The arrest has sparked protests by the community. The Worcester police union released a statement on Friday saying officers were there to protect the public and to ensure the federal agents could do their jobs safely. Police union officials also accuse City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj of encouraging the crowd to act aggressively towards police. The police union is calling for an ethics investigation into Haxhiaj, saying she is 'unfit to serve' and accusing the local councilor of using her elected position to incite aggression towards police officers. 'This councilor participated in the conduct of the unruly crowd and eventually assaulted both Worcester police and federal law enforcement officers on scene,' Worcester Police Patrol Officers' Union Local 911 President Thomas Duffy said in a statement Friday. 'Her behavior also emboldened others to act in this manner,' Duffy said. 'The conduct of this anti-police activist councilor is deplorable and unacceptable.' 'Regardless of political opinions or views, city officials should never condone the assault of an officer and flat-out disregard to the point of violent opposition, the authority of police to maintain safety and public order,' Duffy said. 'We will take the necessary steps to hold her and anyone who assaults our officers accountable and call upon those state and local policy makers to do the same,' Duffy said. Earlier Friday during a press conference, Haxhiaj said, 'The message to our city manager, our police department and every single member of this community is that the response yesterday from the federal government and the police department was completely unacceptable.' On Monday, we had the opportunity to ask Worcester County officials about the incident. When asked how the department is moving forward after the incident, and whether he believes officers responded appropriately, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said, he could not speak for the police department. 'I can't speak for the department, I know you have a great chief and he always looks at things after the fact, what do we do well, what could we do better,' Early said. 'You know that's just part of life and they've been a great partner with us.' Boston 25 has reached out to the police union for further comment on Monday. Haxhiaj's office said she will not comment at this time. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
International Business Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- International Business Times
Etel Haxhiaj: Police Union Blasts Worchester Councilor for Assaulting ICE and Local Officers During Arrest of Violent Illegal Immigrant
A Massachusetts police union is calling for criminal charges against a City Council member accused of assaulting both local and federal law enforcement officers — and of helping incite a chaotic protest, which was caught on video, during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest of an alleged violent criminal. The protest spiraled into disorder, with up to 25 residents shouting and chanting "no warrant!" and "not the mother!" — as video footage showed the suspect's daughter standing in front of the unmarked ICE vehicle, holding her infant, in a desperate attempt to stop the arrest. Police say the event wouldn't have turned violent had the council member not provoked the crowd. Instigating Crowd, Fueling Violence Etel Haxhiaj, the District 5 representative on the Worcester City Council, is accused of playing a key role in fueling the crowd that turned violent toward ICE agents and police officers during the Department of Homeland Security operation in a quiet residential area, according to a statement from the Worcester Police Patrolman's Union, obtained by The New York Post. "Etel Haxhiaj incited aggression towards the police during the incident. This councilor participated in the conduct of the unruly crowd and eventually assaulted both Worcester police and federal law enforcement officers on scene," the union said in a statement. "Her behavior also emboldened others to act in this manner. "Councilor Haxhiaj, in our opinion, broke her oath and these ethical laws, and in doing so put the safety of our officers and our citizens at great risk." The union's statement called for the city to launch an ethics investigation into Haxhiaj's conduct and urged federal officials to take action against her. Multiple Arrested for Taking Law in Hand Among those involved in the protest was Ashley Spring, a Worcester School Board candidate, who is also accused of attacking local police officers and ICE agents during the tense confrontation. She has been hit with multiple charges, including assault and battery on a law enforcement officer. According to Mass Live, the daughter of De Oliveira was also arrested after she chased the ICE vehicle and kicked its passenger-side door. According to CBS, she is facing charges of child endangerment, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace. Haxhiaj "pulled a political stunt and incited chaos by trying to obstruct law enforcement," DHS claimed in a statement obtained by Spectrum Worcester. Ferreira de Oliveira was recently arrested by local police on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as assault and battery against a pregnant woman, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The agency also said that she unlawfully entered the United States in August 2022. "Through the CBP Home App — the Trump Administration is giving parents illegally in the country a chance to take full control of their departure and self-deport, with the potential ability to return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream," DHS said in the statement.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Worcester city councilor to attend meetings remotely due to ‘threats,' ‘non-stop harassment'
A Worcester city council announced this week that she will be attending meetings remotely until further notice due to 'threats' and 'non-stop harassment' she's been facing. 'Due to specific and direct threats, some of which of a sexual nature, against myself and my family, I will utilize the virtual option to temporarily attend City Council and Standing Committee meetings,' Etel Haxhiaj wrote in a Facebook post. 'Given previous acts of vandalism and non-stop harassment these last few years, I take my safety as a woman, mother and immigrant very seriously,' Haxhiaj explained. Haxhiaj confirmed in the post that she's reported the threats to authorities, thanking police for their responsiveness. 'My and my family's safety come first and my work serving District 5 residents continues uninterrupted,' Haxhiaj added. 'I remain steadfast in my solidarity with all communities under attack.' Due to specific and direct threats, some of which of a sexual nature, against myself and my family, I will utilize the... Posted by Etel for Worcester on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 Haxhiaj is an immigrant from Albania and the first Muslim to serve on the Worcester City Council. Haxhiaj announcement comes after Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen took a hiatus over allegations of transphobia. The Worcester City Council voted earlier this month to become a sanctuary city for transgender and gender-diverse people. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
