A furious anti-ICE protestor flung her baby out of the way to kick and shove agents in shocking scenes as deportation demonstrations gripped a small Massachusetts town.
The drama unfolded Thursday morning in Worcester, where a large crowd descended on an ICE operation detaining a separate woman with an infant.
Two people were arrested as the demonstration escalated, and footage showed dozens of people surrounding a car with the woman inside to try and stop it from leaving.
The Worcester Police Department said it was called to assist the ICE agents as they were set upon by the mob, and cops said ‘several people were putting their hands on federal agents’ when they arrived.
One of those arrested was a woman who was seen holding a baby in front of the car to block its path, and handed the infant to another protestor so she could kick the ICE vehicle.
The protestor, who has not been identified, is facing four charges including endangerment of a child, and another woman, named as Ashley Spring, 38, was also arrested for throwing an ‘unknown liquid’ at officers, authorities said.
Spring is facing several charges including assault and battery on a police officer after allegedly also shoving officers as the demonstration turned violent.
City leaders quickly took the side of the protestors after the episode, with City Manager Eric Batista saying his ‘heart goes out to all those impacted by today’s events and the growing tension we all feel due to the national political climate.’
Dramatic footage captured the moment residents in Worcester, Massachusetts surrounded ICE agents as they detained a woman clinging to her baby in chaotic scenes on Thursday
Two people were arrested as the demonstration escalated, and footage showed dozens of people surrounding a car with the woman inside to try and stop it from leaving
One of those arrested was a woman who was seen holding a baby in front of the car to block its path, and handed the infant to another protestor so she could kick the ICE vehicle
The city’s mayor Joseph Petty also came out in support of the demonstrators and said he was ‘devastated’ by the ICE operation on Thursday, which he claimed he was not notified about beforehand.
‘As someone who prides themselves on leading a welcoming city, I am devastated to hear about the separation of a family, especially with Mother’s Day around the corner,’ he said.
‘The fear of ICE tearing a family apart is the worst nightmare of so many in our city.’
In dramatic footage that swept social media, around 25 residents of Worcester were seen swarming the ICE vehicle as it arrived on Eureka Street.
The protestors demanded the agents identified themselves to the mob, with one agent heard saying back: ‘We don’t have to show you anything.’
In dramatic footage that swept social media, around 25 residents of Worcester were seen swarming the ICE vehicle as it arrived on Eureka Street
City leaders quickly took the side of the protestors after the episode, with City Manager Eric Batista (pictured) saying his ‘heart goes out to all those impacted by today’s events and the growing tension we all feel due to the national political climate’
In a statement after the arrests, the Worcester Police Department said it was called to the scene for a ‘report of a federal agent who was surrounded by a large group.’
‘The crowd was unruly, and several people were putting their hands on federal agents and Worcester officers in an attempt to keep the vehicle and the arrestee from leaving,’ the statement read.
The identity of the woman who the group was attempting to prevent from being detained by ICE is not clear.
The protests came the day before the Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka was dramatically arrested at an ICE facility in New Jersey as Democrats fight the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown.
Mayor Ras Baraka was detained for ‘trespassing’ according to Alina Habba, the US attorney for the state, who said he ‘ignored multiple warnings’ by Homeland Security Investigations to leave.
Dramatic footage showed frantic people scrambling outside the gates of the facility, before Baraka was arrested and escorted away by police.
The protests came the day before the Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka was dramatically arrested at an ICE facility in New Jersey
Mayor Ras Baraka was detained for ‘trespassing’ according to authorities, who said he ‘ignored multiple warnings’ by Homeland Security Investigations to leave
Officers were seen shoving protesters out of the way amid the chaos. Rep LaMonica McIver who was at the facility claimed she and her colleagues were assaulted by ICE officers.
Following his detention, Habba said: ‘He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.’
Governor Phil Murphy said he was ‘outraged’ by the arrest and called for his ‘immediate release’. Baraka was released a few hours following his arrest.
The mayor claims the detention center has been illegally housing migrants amid Trump’s mass deportation push, and insisted that the jail has a contract with the city and cannot be housing migrants inside.
