The mayor of Fitchburg is looking for “advance notice” from ICE earlier than they conduct operations in her metropolis after the feds accused a husband of attempting to intervene with the arrest of his unlawful alien spouse by “faking a seizure.”
Mayor Sam Squailia is thanking metropolis residents for recording federal brokers making an attempt to detain Ecuadoran nationwide Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya through the chaotic scene, one which she describes as an “impossible situation” for native officers.
“To everyone who showed up to support neighbors and families, thank you,” the mayor mentioned in a press release posted on her Fb web page Friday afternoon. “Your presence makes an influence. … Recording these interactions ensures our neighborhood’s tales are informed, and it permits the general public to see what happens when federal brokers function in our metropolis.
“These unannounced federal actions place our local officers in an impossible situation,” the mayor added. “When federal agents report they are ‘in danger,’ our officers are obligated to respond.”
Brokers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested the Fitchburg Police Division to help with a visitors cease simply after 7 a.m. Thursday. The cease became an tried arrest, based on native regulation enforcement.
ICE requested additional help from Fitchburg police minutes after 8 a.m., with brokers stating {that a} “crowd was gathering,” and so they “were in danger.”
“Units on scene confirmed that a crowd was gathering and that the situation was hostile,” Fitchburg police mentioned in a press release on Thursday. “At that point more units were requested and dispatched to the scene to keep the peace.”
In movies that witnesses took on the scene after which posted on social media – now gone viral – a person is seen in a automobile showing to have a seizure, with a child lady shut by. Bystanders are heard yelling, “Look at what they’re doing. He’s seizing, he’s seizing,” and “I’m allowed to document. This is my right. He’s having a seizure, and they’re trying to rip the baby out of their hands.”
Fitchburg police reported that at about 8:57 a.m., federal brokers had apprehended “one adult female,” later recognized as Ojeda-Montoya. The lady’s child daughter and husband, Carlos Sebastian Zapata, “were allowed to leave the scene,” authorities said.
“The role of the Fitchburg Police Department in this type of situation is to keep the peace,” the division mentioned in its assertion of the incident. “Keeping the peace includes making sure both the public as a whole as well as the federal law enforcement agents are safe.”
“The Fitchburg Police Department does not enforce federal immigration laws,” it added, “nor do we interfere with the lawful actions of other law enforcement agencies.”
Homeland Safety Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin mentioned that ICE focused Ojeda-Montoya, whom she describes as a “violent criminal illegal alien who, in August, repeatedly stabbed her coworker with scissors & then threw a trash can at her victim.”
McLaughlin added that responders on scene discovered no respectable medical episode,” and that Ojeda-Montoya’s husband “refused any medical care.” The Biden administration launched the Ecuadoran nationwide into the nation in 2023, she mentioned.
Democrats on the Home Homeland Safety Committee reacted to the incident in a social media submit Friday morning, stating, “DHS will lie. They always do. BUT LOOK WITH YOUR EYES!! Is this right? the WORST OF THE WORST?? Absolutely not. And shame on anyone who says otherwise.”
Boston Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley reacted in a submit later Friday afternoon, “WARNING: The violence and cruelty is hard to watch, but impossible for families to endure. This is a sickening example of Trump and ICE’s blatant disregard for humanity as they terrorize our families and communities. It is shameful, cruel, and it must end.”
The Division of Homeland Safety is responding to the backlash, accusing Ojeda-Montoya’s husband of “FAKING a seizure to help a criminal escape justice.”
“The target of this operation … is the WORST OF THE WORST,” the division said in a submit on its X web page Friday afternoon.
In a launch, DHS mentioned that ICE brokers tried to de-escalate the altercation with Ojeda-Montoya and Zapata Rivera, requesting the daddy take custody of the kid. The mother and father mentioned they had been prepared to position their daughter into state custody.
“Once Zapata Rivera realized he would be arrested for immigration violations if he did not agree to take custody of the child,” the division said, “he suddenly decided to be a good father and left with the child.”
McLaughlin slammed the media for working with a “FALSE narrative about our brave ICE law enforcement officers. As usual, here’s the REAL story: ICE targeted a known criminal who repeatedly stabbed her coworker.”
Fitchburg Mayor Squailia is reiterating that officers responded to the scene after it had already escalated and that officers have a “limited role” whereas on the location of ICE arrests, as they’re answerable for “scene safety, de-escalation, traffic control, and people’s rights protection.”
The mayor says that her metropolis helps “First Amendment rights to assemble, to document, and to speak out.”
“As the law stands today,” Squailia mentioned in her assertion, “federal agents are not required to provide information to our police, nor are they required to present paper warrants during apprehensions. … This lack of cooperation limits transparency and hampers our police department’s ability to manage a volatile scene safely.”
“Our residents should never fear retaliation for exercising their rights,” the mayor added. “Our police officers should not be drawn into dangerous situations and then left in the dark when federal immigration operations occur in our neighborhoods. We deserve better through clear protocols, advance notice, and transparency that protects both community and officer safety.”
