Latest news with #RobynKennedy
Boston Globe
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
ICE arrest in Worcester sparks community outrage and protest
It was Advertisement 'We're a community that is not going to allow the terror that has been unleashed by the Trump administration to happen in silence or in the cover of darkness,' state Senator Robyn Kennedy, a Worcester Democrat, said Saturday in an interview. Related : On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people flooded the Worcester Common, a central square behind its City Hall, to condemn US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents' actions. Dozens of homemade signs waved in the air, bearing messages such as 'Hands Off Our Neighbors,' 'Kidnapping Mothers Is A Crime,' and 'Celebrate Mothers, Don't Deport Them.' One woman held up a large painting, depicting a man in sunglasses with a vest labeled 'ICE' pulling a crying baby from the arms of a distressed woman. Advertisement For more than an hour and a half, the protesters cheered on a lineup of speakers who slammed Rebecca Winter, a spokesperson for the grass-roots activist group Mass 5051, said the nonprofit organized the event to bring people together in defense of democracy and the Constitution, particularly in light of the events on Eureka Street. 'These arrests are incredibly violent, they appear to be unlawful, [and] plenty of people who have been taken by ICE appear to be here legally and are not criminals in any way,' Winter said. Barbara Prata, a 39-year-old Shrewsbury mother of two young girls, said it was important to her to attend the rally, even on Mother's Day. She said her husband emigrated to the US from Brazil 15 years ago and was formerly undocumented. 'I can't imagine what that 16-year-old girl went through watching her mother get stolen,' Prata said. 'I'm not gonna just sit home when families are literally being torn apart a mile away from my house.' Related : The actions of Worcester police officers have become a major point of debate. Some local elected officials have accused police of aiding federal immigration agents to the detriment of residents and decried the arrest of the teenager. Antuan Castro Del Rio, a 37-year-old artist and activist who lives in Chelsea, said at the rally he felt rage and a sense of powerlessness watching the videos from Eureka Street. But he also felt confirmation, arguing the incident exposed how police are often complicit in federal immigration enforcement, even if police departments commit to not cooperating with ICE. Advertisement 'What they say is they're really not collaborating and arresting people, but they do collaborate by protecting the process,' Castro Del Rio said. 'They are protecting the abductions and kidnappings of community members.' He said that in videos shared online that were recorded by bystanders the Worcester police jumped on the woman's daughter and 'slammed her face first into the ground, put a knee on her neck, and then two more police officers came in and handcuffed her as if she was a criminal.' The Globe has been unable to obtain a copy of the videos depicting this incident. The US Department of Homeland Security and the union for the city's patrol officers have fired back and directed criticism at Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, who had stood between the woman and federal immigration agents. In separate statements, the federal agency and the police union accused Haxhiaj of obstructing law enforcement officials. The unions representing the city's patrol officers and police supervisors also called on the city to open an ethics investigation into Haxhiaj's conduct. Reached Saturday, Haxhiaj declined to comment. Related : Federal officials have offered few details about ICE's actions on Eureka Street. In a statement issued Friday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin identified the woman arrested by federal agents as Ferreira de Oliveira. McLaughlin described de Oliveira as 'violent' and a 'criminal' and asserted that she entered the country illegally in August 2022. She also said de Oliveira had been charged with 'assault and battery with a dangerous weapon' and 'assault and battery on a pregnant victim' but didn't specify when and where or the name of the law enforcement agency handling the matter. Advertisement An ICE spokesperson didn't respond Saturday to questions about the criminal charges, and Globe searches of the Massachusetts court system's public database didn't yield any cases under de Oliveira's name. In an Telemundo also interviewed one of de Oliveira's daughters, Augusta Clara, 21, who is seen holding a baby in her arms in some videos from the scene. Clara identified her 16-year-old sister as the arrested teenager. Once federal agents placed de Oliveira in a vehicle and attempted to drive away, Worcester police said, the teenage girl stood in front of the SUV as she held a baby. Police said officers told her to move out of the way, which she did and gave the baby to someone else. As the vehicle started to move, the teenager ran after it and kicked the passenger side, the police statement said. Police said officers charged her with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Advertisement Police Chief Paul Saucier said in a statement Sunday Worcester officers don't enforce federal immigration law or ask anyone their immigration status, and do not coordinate with federal immigration authorities. He also accused Haxhiaj of interfering with city officers. 'It is disappointing and unacceptable that a Worcester city councilor put her hands on our officers during the incident on Eureka St. Regardless of the charged political climate, physical violence is never an acceptable response to policy disagreements,' he said. Saucier declined to provide further details about this accusation; Haxhiaj did not respond immediately to a request for comment. In a 'You arrested her and threw her on the ground,' she said. Clara told Telemundo that the girl and her 13-year-old sister are now in the custody of child welfare officials. Also arrested was Ashley Spring, 38, a Worcester School Committee candidate, police said. In a report filed in court, Worcester police accused Spring of pushing and shoving officers and spraying an 'unknown liquid' at another officer as they tried to arrest the teenager. Spring didn't respond Saturday to messages seeking comment. She was arraigned Friday in Worcester District Court, where she pleaded not guilty to several charges, including assault and battery on a police officer. Her next court date is set for June 23. Advertisement 'Unfortunately, two individuals were arrested after several attempts by WPD officers to de-escalate the chaotic situation, which included the endangerment of an infant,' he said. Worcester 'will never target individuals based on their immigration status,' and the city and its police officers do not assist with 'ICE civil detainments,' but also may not interfere with it, the statement said. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty and Worcester City Councilor Khrystian King have said they asked Batista to prepare a report about the incident. 'We had a teenager that was literally fighting for her life, for her family's life, who ended up arrested, handcuffed, and charged,' King said Saturday in a phone interview. 'We have to find better ways to deal with a young girl who's in an extreme state of distress seeing her mother taken away.' Fred Taylor, president of the Worcester branch of the NAACP, likened the arrest of de Oliveira to a kidnapping and called on Worcester police to not assist ICE. 'What happened Thursday shouldn't and can't happen,' he said. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State House Spotlight: budget prep and policy priorities
BOSTON (WWLP) – State officials continued to push out policy dealing with spending taxpayer dollars this week and worked to establish session priorities. Early this week, the Senate unveiled its fiscal year 2026 budget plan, and the Senate also passed a $1.3 billion supplemental budget using millionaire's tax collections to fund regional transportation. 'Robust public transportation in Fitchburg and Southbridge, and Springfield means a possibility of more housing production and easing density in Boston,' said Senator Robyn Kennedy during the supplemental budget debate. The Healey Administration announced a set of policy initiatives to make Massachusetts better for older adults. Their priorities include dementia-friendly policies and ensuring older adults can age in their own homes. 'Aging in place is a heck of a lot better than needing any alternative, I know, so it's important for us to do the work and make sure everyone sees themselves through this effort,' Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said at the announcement. The commission on combating antisemitism held a hearing focusing on increasing hate crimes, and a western Massachusetts senator expressed his commitment to fighting back. 'This special commission will not hesitate to follow and confront antisemitism wherever it rears its vile and repugnant head, whether it's from the left or the right,' Westfield Senator John Velis said. This commission meeting comes in the same week as the state announces a partnership with an Israeli medical innovation center. Attention at the State House will soon turn to Senate budget debate, as the final budget deadline looms in July. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate debates $1.3B in supplemental spending
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Senate spent their Thursday amending and debating a $1.3 billion supplemental spending bill, which relies primarily on extra millionaire's tax funds. This millionaire's tax, also known as the surplus spending tax, splits funds between education and transportation. It's the House and Senate's job to determine what proportion of this money goes to each category. The House voted to designate $790 million to the MBTA, which only serves Boston and the surrounding communities. The Senate is seeking to send just $370 million to the MBTA, with $400 million going to regional transportation. One senator defended funding rural transit as it will also help Boston. 'Robust public transportation in Fitchburg and Southbridge, and Springfield means a possibility of more housing production and easing density in Boston,' said Senator Robyn Kennedy. In the context of this bill, regional transportation includes transit authorities and road and bridge repair, in order to ensure rural areas receive the support they need. One senator says this bill may not be a good idea in a time of great uncertainty regarding federal funding. 'If this policy continues without stability, I will eat my words if we do not see an inflationary environment worse than it is today,' said Senator Mark Montigny. The Senate's plan sends the remaining $613 million to education initiatives, with a focus on special education. Following Senate passage of the bill, the two branches will need to create a compromise version before it can be signed into law. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State senate speaks out against Trump
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Massachusetts Senate met in an informal session on Monday, and in an unusual move, about a quarter of the state's senators stood up and gave speeches about the negative impact of Trump administration decisions on themselves and their constituents. The 15 senators all expressed their disapproval and horror with the Trump administration's immigration policies, as deportations skyrocket, many without due process, and as the refugee program is shut down. These lawmakers emphasized that while they may not be able to physically stop federal agents, they are committed to standing by immigrants and their rights. 'We must speak out in condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the cruelty-the cruelty-the lawlessness and injustice that we are seeing,' said Worcester Senator Robyn Kennedy. Immigration is not the only issue at the front of these senators' minds. Springfield Senator Adam Gomez denounced funding cuts for health issues, speaking about how these cuts–especially to asthma prevention measures–will affect communities in western Massachusetts. 'It's heartless,' said Gomez. 'These funds were a lifeline in Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield, where too many children already struggle with trying to breathe.' Other lawmakers spoke up for LGBTQ rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion, the rule of law, and other issues they fear are under attack. Senators who spoke out said they will not give in to the president's wishes, and they hope President Trump sees their speeches online. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Developmental disability providers lobby for budget funding
BOSTON, (WWLP) – Hundreds of developmental disability providers and disabled adults gathered at the State House to call for funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The work of these providers–members of the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers or ADDP–focuses primarily on addressing workplace challenges for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with autism or traumatic brain injuries. One lawmaker spoke at the forum about the importance of uplifting disabled peoples' voices in conversations about their wellbeing. 'It happens by being led by those who are most impacted, who are most marginalized, by access to services and resources,' said 1st Worcester District Senator Robyn Kennedy. The ADDP's long-term goal is to ensure human services salary benchmarks are aligned with the 75th percentile of the Massachusetts Bureau of Labor index, which would ensure competitive compensation for these workers. In this year's budget, the ADDP is requesting funding to get these workers' salaries to the 63rd percentile. 'Instead of being paid at $20.79 an hour, which is projected now, we are requesting that people will be paid $22.35 an hour,' explained Ellen Attaliades, President and CEO of the ADDP. Raising salaries to the 63rd percentile would cost the commonwealth an additional hundred million dollars, and the ADDP says it is worth the investment. The budget process continues with House and Senate drafts before they are combined and finalized this summer. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
