WORCESTER — The streets of our city are not a battleground — and yet last week, that’s exactly what they became. Families ripped apart, children pinned to the ground, and the echo of community cries drowned out by flashing lights and unmarked badges. What happened on Eureka Street is not just a tragedy — it is a warning. And Worcester, we must rise.
On Thursday, federal immigration agents stormed Eureka Street with the full cooperation of Worcester Police. Their target: a mother seeking asylum and her teenage daughter. The video, captured by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, is harrowing. A 16-year-old girl — a child — is seen face-down on the pavement, handcuffed by local officers while her mother is taken by ICE. No criminal charges. No deportation order. No due process. Just fear and force.
Her sister, Augusta Clara, 21, stood nearby holding her newborn baby, trying to protect what was left of her family. “I’m very traumatized by everything that happened,” she told reporters in Spanish. Traumatized — because a day earlier, ICE had also arrested her baby’s father. And now, with her mother detained and her sisters taken by the Department of Children and Families, Clara is left to pick up the pieces.
This is not law enforcement. This is violence under the veil of legality. And our city — our community — is standing up.
The injustice didn’t stay hidden. It didn’t go unnoticed. The story of what happened on Eureka Street has spread across all 50 states — and even reached as far as China. In a digital age where the truth travels faster than fear, the world is watching. From coast to coast and beyond borders, people are waking up to a chilling reality: what happened in Worcester could happen in their hometown next. ICE isn’t just targeting immigrants — it’s targeting the very soul of our communities.
On Sunday, hundreds of protesters flooded Worcester Common to say what we all feel: Enough. No more silence. No more complicity. “We don’t want to live in a community where our neighbors are pulled off the street,” said local resident Susan Keady. Her words ring with the pain and power of a community that’s had enough.
City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj didn’t mince words: “The message for ICE is ‘Get out of our city.’” The cries of protestors — “You’re not supposed to work with ICE!” — were not just shouts of anger. They were declarations of unity. A city’s voice rising in defense of its people.
Let us be clear: this mother had legally applied for asylum. Her daughters are here under deferred action. There was no reason, no cause, and no justification for the terror inflicted on them. And yet, Worcester Police were there — not to protect, but to pin a girl’s face to the dirt.
The official line from police is that they were called in to assist federal agents under “chaotic” conditions. But chaos is not created in a vacuum. It is born of broken trust. It is fueled by systems that value enforcement over empathy, control over community.
As Worcester residents, we are left wondering: Why are our local police standing shoulder to shoulder with ICE? Why are they choosing fear over faith in the people they serve? Worcester is not a sanctuary city, but does that mean we must be a city without sanctuary?
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said she wants to know more. Worcester wants answers too — but we also want action. Community members are calling for a full investigation into the incident and demanding that the Worcester Police Department end all collaboration with ICE.
We are not just bystanders. We are mothers, sisters, neighbors, allies. We are Worcester — a city built on resilience, diversity, and the belief that no one should live in fear in their own home.
More voices were heard at City Hall yesterday. More feet marched. More hearts united in the name of justice. ICE may have torn one family apart, but in doing so, they’ve brought a city together. Stronger. Louder. Unafraid.
If ICE wants to fight with Worcester — the second-largest city in Massachusetts — they better be ready for a fight. Because this city stands with its people. And this city will not be silent.
