WORCESTER—Hundreds gathered outside Worcester City Hall Tuesday evening to protest a recent ICE operation and the city’s handling of its aftermath, marking the third demonstration in less than a week.
The rally — organized by Worcester Indivisible — was prompted by the chaotic May 8 incident on Eureka Street, in which federal agents detained a woman later identified by ICE as Ferreira de Oliveira. The situation escalated when members of the community and elected officials intervened, leading to multiple arrests and a wave of political fallout that continues to reverberate.
Tuesday’s demonstration coincided with a scheduled Worcester City Council meeting that had been moved online “out of an abundance of caution,” after officials cited safety concerns and unspecified threats. As a result, city hall was closed to the public as of 5 p.m., drawing criticism from organizers who have consistently emphasized the peaceful nature of their protests.
“We need to make Worcester an immigrant sanctuary city,” said Mysti Green of the Worcester Indivisible Advisory Board, addressing the crowd gathered on the front steps of City Hall. “The whole world is watching. They’re watching us. They’re watching the police and they’re watching City Hall. And we are watching Mr. Trump and Musk. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching.”
Signs, chants, and speeches focused on calls for increased transparency in how local police interact with federal immigration enforcement, as well as support for those arrested during the original confrontation.
“We are not violent here; we have always been non-violent,” said Walter Crockett, protest organizer and board member of Worcester Indivisible. “And that’s the way to go… we want to take our country back and we want to do it the right way. They closed down City Hall under the excuse that they were getting threats. If they were getting threats, that’s a terrible thing, but the threats weren’t coming from us. And they aren’t coming from the liberation group that was going to speak. We’ve done four rallies just since Trump took over. We’ve never had an incident of any kind. The MAGA people have been extremely polite, except for the occasional finger out the car window.”
No city officials were present at the rally, as they were attending the weekly city council meeting. Councilor Khrystian King has called the ICE operation “insidious” and has pushed for new city policies. District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj has faced backlash — including from the city’s police union — for her actions at the scene.
Other speakers, including activist David Webb and blogger/activist Bill Shaner, directed their criticism toward Police Chief Paul Saucier, City Manager Eric Batista, and police union president Thomas Duffy, while repeatedly defending Haxhiaj.
“What I saw on Eureka Street Thursday morning were masked, heavily armed intruders set on destroying our community,” Shaner told the crowd, “who wouldn’t deign to say why or who they were. These are the agents that we pay handsomely to protect our community [but] instead serve to protect these masked destroyers. These were foreigners by any definition in our community. The police helped them come in and take a member of our community. They pushed members of our community out of the way so these intruders could make a clean getaway from our community. In that way, the police are set on destroying this community.”
The Worcester Police Patrol Officers’ Union — New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911 — released a statement Friday condemning what it described as a “hostile and uncooperative” crowd and the actions of Haxhiaj.
“Of particular concern in this case, one of our elected policy makers and someone who has created this difficult task for the police, District 5 City Councilor, Etel Haxhiaj, incited aggression towards the police during the incident,” the union said. “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’s statement continued:
“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. The Worcester Police Patrolman’s Union Local 911 will not stand silently in the face of such outrageous conduct or allow the safety of our officers to be put at risk by any individual.”
The union has called for an ethics investigation into Haxhiaj’s conduct and said it believes federal authorities may also pursue charges against others involved.
“No one has the right to act in such a reckless manner towards police officers, and we demand accountability for all criminal and ethically deplorable behavior,” the statement read.
“We, as Worcester, will not allow unnamed masked men to come on our sidewalks and demand that these women and mothers get in cars that are unmarked to go with them to go God knows where,” said Jillian Phillips, a member of the groups Neighbor to Neighbor, and also Luce, which alerts people about ICE, at the rally. “We know what the media has shown you. It’s not the truth. Councilorwoman Haxhiaj came at the request of this community because there were women trapped on the side of the road sitting on the ground next to a vehicle surrounded by men who refused to tell us who they were.”
Ashley Spring, a candidate for Worcester School Committee, was arrested by police on Eureka Street during the protest. According to police, she shoved officers and splashed them with liquid as they attempted to take others into custody.
She addressed the crowd at Tuesday’s rally.
“What I see here in Worcester today and nearly every day since armed men have been abducting people from the community, is a community that is not giving up its power without a fight,” Spring said.
A spokesperson for the city told the Worcester Guardian that ICE “did not and does not notify the city when it is in the area or conducting any activities.” However, Mayor Joe Petty filed a formal order seeking clarity on how the city coordinates with federal immigration authorities. “The events of the last few days… have been deeply disturbing,” Petty said in a statement Tuesday morning. “I recognize that some do not agree with this decision [to go remote], but as mayor I feel it is my responsibility to keep people safe.”
Several performers, including Mud Demers, Lydia Fortune, The Hipswayers, and P.E. James, were interspersed between speakers, delivering songs centered on protest and community.
Speakers addressed a range of issues, from due process to trust in law enforcement. Some referenced past injustices, drawing parallels to earlier moments in Worcester history — including a 1928 Ku Klux Klan rally, which Crockett said was the last time a violent protest occurred in the city. “They were driven out,” he said, to cheers from the crowd.
Tuesday’s rally followed demonstrations held on Friday and Sunday, all focused on what activists have described as ICE overreach and a failure of city leadership to protect vulnerable residents. Organizers have called for an independent investigation, expanded civilian oversight of police, and a formal policy prohibiting Worcester police from assisting in civil immigration enforcement.
Background on ICE incident
On the morning of Thursday, May 8, federal agents attempted to detain Ferreira de Oliveira on Eureka Street in the Webster Square neighborhood, triggering a confrontation that led to multiple arrests — including a 16-year-old girl and Worcester School Committee candidate Ashley Spring. ICE officials described the woman as a “violent criminal illegal alien,” while local leaders and activists criticized what they characterized as excessive force and a lack of due process.
The Worcester NAACP also issued a statement, calling the local operation “an egregious over-use of force” and renewing calls for the creation of a civilian police review board.
Looking ahead
More public discussion is expected in the coming weeks as councilors consider policy proposals and continue to field community responses. Activists say they plan to remain vocal — and visible — at upcoming city meetings.
Several live feeds from Tuesday’s rally can be viewed on the Worcester Guardian’s Facebook page.
This is an ongoing story. Refresh the page for updates.
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