Worcester Mayor’s Order Against ICE Collaboration

The mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts, has enacted an executive order that stops his police department and other city agencies from collaborating with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This decision by Manager Eric Batista followed the release of bodycam footage showing the arrest of Rozen Ferreira do Oliveira, who attempted to interfere with ICE agents during their actions.

On May 16, Batista issued the order, which cautions city officials and police against working with ICE. It specifies that “local government employees must not participate in activities led by federal agencies that are solely for enforcing federal immigration laws.”

The order emphasizes that inquiries about immigration status should not affect how residents, victims, suspects, or 911 callers are treated by local employees.

Additionally, the directive instructs police to conduct investigations and enforce laws without regard to an individual’s immigrant status.

Batista’s order also prohibits the police from holding suspects among immigrant detainees. It states, “No one is arrested or held by the Worcester Police Department solely based on federal immigration status, which includes extending detention after someone is released from local custody or before being taken to court or released on bail.”

However, the order clarifies that this does not prevent the municipality or the police from cooperating with federal entities to comply with the law, nor does it restrict the possibility of working with ICE or other federal agencies in certain contexts.