The Trump administration is warning Massachusetts communities to stay clear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations or else. But one local law enforcement leader is urging calm from all parties.
Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger is calling for restraint after recent encounters between federal law enforcement and the public that have become more confrontational, including last week in Worcester and Tuesday in Waltham.
“Everybody just needs to take a step back,” said Coppinger, who formerly served as chief of the Lynn Police Department.
Most recent incident in Waltham occurred Tuesday when video showed ICE agents smashing the glass of a van to take a man out and handcuff him as community members pleaded for them to stop.
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Recent ICE arrests in the Bay State have been met with resistance from members of the public.
“We have to maintain the peace — not take sides, but maintain the peace so nobody gets hurt,” Coppinger said.
He deals with ICE on a regular basis at the county jail. He said his involvement with the federal agency is limited by state law, unable to hold inmates for them who post bail.
He said the lack of collaboration between ICE and local law enforcement shouldn’t limit their communication, especially when agents are out in the streets.
“My request to ICE in general would be notify local police and the district attorneys or any local law enforcement that may be involved, especially in light of all the chaos and all the tension that’s in our communities now over this,” he said.
Community members across Massachusetts are reacting to recent ICE activity, with protesters taking to the streets in Worcester and advocates in Waltham working to inform people of their rights.
“You’re separating families. These are hard working people. They’re not criminals,” yelled one woman who confronted ICE agents on Moody Street in Waltham Tuesday morning. “I hope when you die, you know you did the right thing!”
Retired ICE San Antonio Deputy Field Director Julian Calderas said he’s noticed a lot more hostility recently. He warned that a situation can easily turn violent, especially if agents feel threatened.
“If [the public] have a problem with what they’re seeing or observing, there is many different ways that they could express that dissatisfaction, but I certainly would not get involved,” he said.
Calderas added that ICE can arrest people without presenting a warrant.
“If they’re here illegally, and they know they’re here illegally, they can arrest them. I think when people ask for a warrant or an order, I’m not sure people know exactly what they’re asking for,” Calderas said. “If they have an order from the judge that was ordered in absentia, the person didn’t show up for court and they were ordered deported, that’s one order. They’ve got a reinstatement of a prior deportation, that’s another order that’s an administrative order — they’re not all from the judge, you know? And then you’ve got some that may have committed a felony and entry after a felony, that’s a separate thing. So there’s some little nuances, but the common theme is if they go into a place and they’re looking for one person that they have an order of deportation for, and there’s five people there they don’t have an order for, but they’re here illegally, then they can arrest them, too.”
Video shows federal agents breaking the window of an SUV and forcing a man out of the vehicle while his wife and child were inside as the family was leaving church.
“I think what people are concerned with is when they show up looking for one specific person, ‘Show me the warrant,’ they’re getting a lot of that — they’re not going to come to their door if they don’t have a reason for it,” he added.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley issued a statement Wednesday threatening criminal charges against anyone who interferes.
“The interference with ICE operations around Massachusetts has been disturbing, to say the least. This conduct poses significant public and officer safety risks. It is conduct that should be vilified rather than glorified,” Foley wrote. “I will not stand idly by if any public official, public safety officer, organization or private citizen acts in a manner that criminally obstructs or impedes ICE operations. The United States Attorney’s Office, along with our federal partners, will investigate any violations of federal law and pursue charges that are warranted by such activity.”
