Police are calling for an official investigation and charges against a city councilwoman for allegedly assaulting officers and inciting a violent mob trying to stop the arrest of an illegal alien criminal suspect in Worcester, Massachusetts.
It is another in a slew of incidents where government officials have stepped in to try to block immigration enforcement as the Trump administration cracks down on aliens with criminal records in the U.S.
A local police union argued over the weekend that Etel Haxhiaj, who represents Worcester’s District 5, helped incite the mob into assaulting ICE officers and cops during the Department of Homeland Security operation that escalated out of control Friday. The Worcester Police Patrolman’s Union made the allegations in a statement released Saturday.
The protest by more than two dozen bystanders chanting “no warrant!” and “not the mother!” resulted after authorities came to arrest Ferreira de Oliveira. She is an illegal alien whom local police recently arrested for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant victim, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
It was unclear how many of the bystanders were just a spontaneous outpouring of “neighbors,” as some news outlets reported, or if the gathering was engineered by anti-deportation activists who got a heads up on the apprehension operation.
Caught on video, the situation soon got out of hand, as Haxhiaj is seen in a powder blue shirt jostling with officers:
The police union reported there was more than a shoving match, saying in its statement:
Etel Haxhiaj incited aggression towards the police during the incident. This councilor participated in the conduct of the unruly crowd and eventually assaulted both Worcester police and federal law enforcement officers on scene. Her behavior also emboldened others to act in this manner.
In another video posted on YouTube, Haxhiaj excitedly tries to defend her actions to an officer:
The incident resulted in two other arrests.
One was Ashley Spring, a candidate for School Board in Worcester, who reportedly threw an unknown liquid at responding officers, CBS’s Boston affiliate reported.
Another was De Oliveira’s daughter, who was arrested after she also ran after the ICE car and kicked its passenger side. She previously had tried to block a departing ICE car while holding her infant.
The daughter was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest, police said. The infant was not injured during the incidents, Massachusetts Live reported.
Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
