WORCESTER—The city has amended its policy governing interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explicitly barring federal agents from using municipal property to stage or prepare civil immigration enforcement operations, city officials announced Wednesday.
The changes expand an executive order issued last spring by City Manager Eric Batista and come amid heightened national attention to ICE activity and its impact on local communities. Under the revised policy, ICE agents may not use city-owned buildings, parking lots, garages, parks, or other municipal property—indoors or outdoors—to assemble personnel, vehicles, or equipment for civil immigration enforcement actions.
In a statement, Batista said Worcester was responding to what he described as escalating and harmful federal immigration enforcement tactics.
“The City of Worcester is watching the horrific events play out across the country as ICE continues to wreak havoc on communities with no regard for humanity,” Batista said. He added that the amendments are intended to “further protect our residents,” including by prohibiting the use of municipal property for ICE staging and preparation and reaffirming that “no municipal resources will be used toward federal civil immigration enforcement.”
Batista first issued the executive order on May 16, 2025, outlining how municipal employees and the Worcester Police Department may interact with federal immigration authorities. The order established that enforcement of immigration law is a federal responsibility and barred city personnel from participating in civil immigration enforcement, including investigations and detentions carried out by ICE.
City officials said the policy was designed to assure residents that public safety services would be provided regardless of immigration status, and that local law enforcement would continue to focus on bias-free policing and de-escalation.
Mayor Joseph Petty, in a statement released by the city, framed the amendments as a reaffirmation of Worcester’s broader commitment to community trust.
“We will not turn our backs on our residents while the federal government terrorizes and harms its people across the country,” Petty said in the announcement, adding that the updated policy strengthens the city’s efforts to preserve peace and unity.
Police Chief Paul B. Saucier also commented on the department’s focus on community relationships, saying the Worcester Police Department is “focused on building credibility and trust within our community,” noting officers’ presence in neighborhoods and at community events.
The amended policy builds on existing restrictions that already prohibit municipal employees and police officers from asking about immigration status or treating residents differently based on that status. Police are also barred from making arrests or extending detention solely on the basis of a federal civil immigration detainer, and from assisting other agencies with matters based exclusively on civil immigration enforcement.
New provisions taking effect as of Feb. 4, 2026, add several additional constraints. In addition to banning ICE staging on city property, Worcester will not enter into so-called 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement to carry out certain federal immigration enforcement functions.
The policy also directs police responding to calls involving ICE activity to take reasonable steps to verify that individuals on scene are federal agents and to gather relevant information.
The amendments further require that any body-worn camera footage captured by Worcester police of federal agents engaged in civil immigration enforcement be made publicly available.
City officials said the changes reflect Worcester’s intention to remain a welcoming city while maintaining clear boundaries between local public safety responsibilities and federal immigration enforcement.
