On May 8, 2025, a Brazilian grandmother was kidnapped on Eureka St. in broad daylight by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), aided by the Worcester Police Department (WPD). Her daughter, joined by her neighbors and a growing crowd, had attempted to stop the agents from taking her mother, to no avail. She, too, was arrested – after being chased down by officers, as reported by Julia Conley for Common Dreams.
One of the people out of that crowd was Etel Haxhiaj, a Worcester City Councilor who represents the very district where the incident occurred. The Worcester police allege that Haxhiaj had “assaulted” them during the incident. Haxhiaj says these charges are “retaliatory,” and seeks for them to be dismissed.
And dismissed they should be.
On Sept. 25, dozens of people gathered outside of the Worcester District Courthouse on a rainy morning in solidarity with Haxhiaj.
Around 8:45 a.m., court security officers attempted to get the crowd to move across the street from the courthouse, citing an arrestable offense. The protestors seemed skeptical and moved instead to the farthest end of the sidewalk, though a few did move across the street. A different police officer had told protestors around 9:00 a.m. that they could stand out there, just to stay away from the walkways, as was previously assumed. With the seeming attempt to disperse protestors thwarted, the court security had backed off.
Morale was strong. A woman yelled out to the officers: “We have 19 videos of what you did.” A man who was entering the courthouse told the protestors, “God bless you,” and that his spirit was with them.
This protest, and all protests against the brutality of ICE, show the real spirit of the community. It is absolutely vital that we show up for our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors who have become targets of an inhumane federal operation.
ICE does not care about legality, humanity, or due process. Conley reported that one of the police officers during the May incident had admitted that ICE didn’t need a warrant for what they were doing. In fact, just this month, the Supreme Court announced that it’s actually quite alright for ICE to racially profile people, according to reporting from Erika Ryan and others for NPR. The state of this country has reached the point where it is a potential “crime” to be a Brown person in public.
Now, more than ever, communities across the United States need each other. The people will show up for Haxhiaj, and they will continue to show up for those wrongfully targeted by a racist and xenophobic operation, aided by police officers and aided by those who support this administration.
The next hearing date on Haxhiaj’s charges is set for Nov. 19. Show your support – an attack on one is an attack on all.
If you encounter ICE in Massachusetts, the organization LUCE has an available hotline to report ICE sightings and help with exercising your rights.
