XPost: ne.politics, alt.politics.immigration, alt.politics.republicans
XPost: sac.politics, talk.politics.misc

Two people, including a candidate for Worcester School Committee, were
arrested after dozens of residents surrounded federal agents who were
detaining a mother in Worcester, advocates and officials said.

An immigrant family in Worcester was “targeted” by Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agents this week, according to advocates. The father
was detained by ICE on Wednesday, and agents returned to their home
Thursday and arrested the mother “without a warrant,” LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts said.

Neighbors saw federal agents interacting with the mother and two
children, a teen girl and a 1-year-old, around Eureka Street around 7
a.m. Thursday, according to LUCE. ICE did not respond to a request for
comment, but LUCE confirmed that the woman detained is the mother of the 16-year-old girl.

Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was one of the residents who
formed a “human ring” around the mother and children.

“As an elected official, it is my obligation to stand up for my constituents,” Haxhiaj said in a statement. “The way immigrants in Worcester and across the Commonwealth are being targeted and terrorized
by this federal administration for deportation is absolutely unconstitutional.”

Worcester police said officers responded to the neighborhood around
11:13 a.m. for reports of around 25 people surrounding a federal agent,
while another person called to report that ICE agents were refusing to
show a warrant to the crowd.

LUCE said that residents chanted and yelled to stop the agents from
detaining members of the family. The group, which runs a hotline to
report federal immigration agents in Massachusetts, noted that nearly a
quarter of Worcester’s population is foreign-born, according to census
data.

“Worcester Police officers responded to preserve the peace and prevent
anyone from being injured,” the police’s press release said. Police described the crowd as “unruly,” and said several people “were putting their hands on federal agents and Worcester officers in an attempt to
keep the vehicle and the arrestee from leaving.”

Worcester police arrest 16-year-old on multiple charges
As ICE agents attempted to depart with the woman, the teen girl who was
holding the infant stood in front of ICE’s vehicle, police said. The
girl gave the child to someone else before running after the vehicle and kicking the passenger side. Police said “it appeared that she was going
to run in front of the moving vehicle.”

Worcester police arrested the teen girl after her mother was detained
and charged her with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the
peace, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.

A spokesperson with LUCE said the mother of the 1-year-old child was not detained, and police noted that the infant was not injured.

In chaotic videos of the incident online, an individual who appears to
be the teen girl is screaming as up to five officers detain her. Another individual pushes police officers, who then push her into a front yard
before arresting her.

Ashley Spring, 38, was also arrested after she allegedly threw an
unknown liquid substance on and pushed multiple officers who were
attempting to arrest the 16-year-old. Spring is charged with assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (unknown liquid), disorderly conduct, and interfering with a police
officer.

Spring is currently campaigning for Worcester School Committee,
according to campaign filings.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/05/08/two-arrested-after-neig hbors-try-to-stop-ice-agents-from-detaining-worcester-mother/

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