New information was revealed Monday about the Brazilian family involved in a controversial operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Worcester, Massachusetts, last Thursday.
ICE revealed in a statement that the woman they arrested -- a mother who was with her two daughters and grandson -- has a criminal record. The woman's relatives, however, maintain that it was all a family dispute.
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WATCH HEREImages of the arrest, captured by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, continue to spark all kinds of reactions.
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SIGN UP Thee images show a 17-year-old girl being arrested by Worcester police while federal agents detain her mother -- Roseani Ferreira de Oliveira -- just a few feet away.
Community members protested Sunday in front of Worcester City Hall against ICE operations in their community.
In a statement, ICE told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra that Ferreira de Oliveira was "arrested by local police for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a pregnant victim."
But her daughter, Augusta Clara, said it was merely a domestic dispute with her 17-year-old sister.
Clara, who is in the country under deferred action, said she is afraid of being deported. She claims that on that day, immigration agents asked her to call someone to take care of her 3-month-old son so they could arrest her.
ICE also blamed Worcester Councilwoman Ethel Hazhiai for inciting chaos last Thursday and trying to obstruct law enforcement. The councilwoman declined to comment Monday.
Clara said she plans to assume custody of her two younger sisters, who were placed under the guardianship of the state Department of Children and Families while their mother is being held in an immigration detention center in Vermont.
Activists are preparing for another protest against ICE operations in Worcester on Tuesday.
Those attending a demonstration Friday in Worcester said they were outraged. Most attendees were U.S. citizens, and very few Hispanics attended for fear of further arrests.
“Everyone is outraged because this is obviously what's happening in the United States, and in Worcester specifically, where people like this are being taken off the street in unmarked cars with the help of the police," said Coqui Negrón, a community activist. "This is something everyone knows, and it puts that family at risk, and all of us at risk as well,”
