“Bringing hell to Boston is like bringing sand to the beach,” one person said of Homan’s remarks, which came a few days before a group of mayors, including Michelle Wu, are slated to testify before Congress about their policies toward cooperating with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In dozens of TikTok videos, several of which have earned tens of thousands of likes, people pledged to speak out against workplace raids and other efforts to detain unauthorized immigrants.
Some of the posts focus on Boston’s history of resisting authority when residents disagree with government’s actions, often referring to the 1773 Tea Party revolt.
One online refrain calls for an ICE’d Tea Party.
Some bluntly reminded immigration officials that Boston’s hard-edged reputation is well-deserved.
“I live in California and even I know that Boston does not play,” one user says. “[Bostonians] may be some of the most vile and hateful people out there, but they are vile and hateful with love.”
The show of resistance comes as the Trump administration’s directives targeting undocumented immigrants have caused widespread alarm, with some residents changing their daily routines to avoid the threat of detention.
The fear has caused immigrants to drop out of art performances and children to skip school, the Globe has reported. US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would revoke an extension of Temporary Protection Status for Haitians, affecting one of Boston’s largest immigrant communities.
Half-joking, half-sincere, the social media posts represent Bostonians standing up for what they believe, said Sarang Sekhavat, chief of staff at MIRA, a coalition of immigrant rights groups that in recent weeks has worked to inform people of their rights against unconstitutional search and seizure by immigration agents.
“For a lot of people, this is a matter of civil rights, this is a matter of racial equality,” he said.
Immigrant rights groups have said that most immigrants are in the country lawfully and contribute tens of billions of dollars to the Boston-area economy each year. Immigrants should be able to take part fully in their community, including in criminal justice matters, said Kevin Mawe, executive director of the Rian Immigrant Center.
“We expect ICE to treat individuals with dignity, to respect their constitutional rights, and not cause victims of crime to be afraid to report crimes to the police and cooperate in investigations,” Mawe said in a statement.
Officials have in recent weeks pointed to laws and legal decisions that limit police and courts from cooperating with ICE.
“It’s nothing new for us here in Boston to stand up, when we have that ability, for the rights of others,” Sekhavat said.
Claire Thornton can be reached at claire.thornton@globe.com. Follow Claire on X @claire_thornto.
BOSTON (WHDH) – Police are investigating a shooting in Downtown Crossing that occurred Thursday night.
Officials said the shooting occurred around 10:30 p.m. near Tremont and Temple Streets.
When officers arrived on scene, they found a man with a gunshot wound; he is expected to survive.
Police have not said if any arrests have been made.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Local News
An East Boston father is suing ICE, alleging immigration agents unlawfully stopped, arrested, and detained him because of his race and national origin despite having his legal status, his lawyers said.
Lawyers for Civil Rights filed the lawsuit Thursday on behalf of Jose Pineda, a 62-year-old Salvadoran immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for more than three decades and is authorized to remain and work through humanitarian relief, the nonprofit legal organization said in a press release.
The suit is seeking damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act, alleging false arrest, false imprisonment, assault, and severe emotional distress.
“I came to the United States to escape the civil war that devastated El Salvador. I worked hard, started a family, and built a life here,” said Pineda, who works as a landscaper and lives with his wife and 13-year-old daughter. “I never expected to feel that kind of fear again, much less in the United States.”
According to the 30-page complaint, written by LCR senior attorneys Victoria Miranda and Mirian Albert, Pineda has been a recipient of Temporary Protected Status, which allows certain foreign nationals from designated countries to live and work legally in the U.S.
Pineda also had a pending asylum petition and had been granted a T visa, which provides immigration protections to trafficking victims, the complaint states.
“We will not stand idly by as ICE wreaks havoc on immigrant families. Through racial profiling, ICE agents are carrying out an unquestionably discriminatory agenda,” Miranda said in the release. “The law exists to protect people like Mr. Pineda, and it must be enforced against ICE.”
The lawsuit stems from a May 2025 encounter in Weymouth, where Pineda was driving a landscaping truck to a job site when agents in unmarked ICE vehicles surrounded him, according to the complaint.
“The aggressive nature of the questioning made it clear to Mr. Pineda that he was not being judged based on any evidence of unlawful conduct, but rather on his identity, race, ethnicity, and/or national origin,” Pineda’s attorneys wrote.
The lawsuit alleges ICE officers then “forcibly” handcuffed and shackled Pineda before taking him to the agency’s field office in Burlington.
Officers searched Pineda’s belongings during the stop and again at the field office, allegedly confiscating $600 in cash that he intended to use to pay his family’s rent. The money has not been returned, according to the complaint.
Pineda spent two days in ICE custody under what the lawsuit describes as “cruel and inhumane conditions.”
“After what ICE did to me, and after everything my family has endured, I don’t know if I will ever truly feel safe again,” Pineda said.
According to the complaint, he was held in severely overcrowded cells containing more than 40 people — at times as many as 60 — leaving little room to sit and forcing him to remain standing for much of his detention. Detainees also allegedly shared a single toilet and sink without soap or toilet paper and were not provided toothbrushes, clean clothes, or showers.
Fluorescent lights remained on around the clock, making it difficult to sleep, while temperatures became “extremely cold” overnight and some detainees received only aluminum blanekts for warmth, the complaint states.
Pineda was given only a two-minute phone call during his detention and received two bottles of water each day, along with “inadequate and limited” food and water, according to the complaint.
“Mr. Pineda has suffered devastating and ongoing physical and emotional harm that has impacted all aspects of his life,” his attorneys wrote. “Mr. Pineda brings this action to seek accountability for these violent and traumatizing tortious acts of the ICE officers and to address the harms inflicted upon him.”
According to LCR, Pineda was released following advocacy by Centro Presente, a Massachusetts immigrant rights organization.
After his release, ICE initiated removal proceedings against him depsite his humanitarian protections, the organization said. Those proceedings were ultimately dismissed.
“ICE targeted Mr. Pineda based on nothing more than his perceived national origin and the nature of his work,” Albert said in the press release. “Our laws prohibit this kind of arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement. Through this lawsuit, we seek to hold the federal government accountable for the violence and harm inflicted on Mr. Pineda.”
ICE referred questions about the lawsuit to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.
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BOSTON (WHDH) – A pedestrian was hit and killed in Roxbury Thursday morning.
The collision occurred just before 8:20 a.m. on Tremont Street.
Police said Tremont Street was closed in both directions between Brigham Circle and Roxbury Crossing.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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