Police body camera footage of a controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Worcester, Massachusetts, last week was released on Friday.
The footage show a 17-year-old girl being arrested by Worcester police officers while federal agents detain her mother a few feet away on Thursday, May 8. The immigration activity prompted residents to object as it was happening, as is seen on the footage, and afterward, with protests held against ICE operations in their community.
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WATCH HEREWith the release of the footage — three bodycam videos and emergency response dispatch audio described as the first batch from officers on the scene — on Friday, City Manager Eric Batista also announced a new policy prohibiting city employees from inquiring about people's immigration status or from letting immigration status affect how people are treated. The city reiterated that Worcester police officers are not to perform immigration officers' functions.
"It is my hope that releasing all of the body-worn camera footage and establishing a clear policy on how municipal employees are to engage with ICE agents is the first step in repairing any unintentional harm and can help determine how, as a community and a municipality, we respond in these situations," Batista said in the statement — read it in full below.
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SIGN UP Watch the Worcester police body camera videos here:
Worcester released the videos as a playlist on YouTube — watch all four here:
Read City Manager Batista's statement in full:
I recognize the significant impact this incident has had on our community. It has created division and caused trauma to the individuals directly involved and to the greater community at large. It is my hope that releasing all of the body-worn camera footage and establishing a clear policy on how municipal employees are to engage with ICE agents is the first step in repairing any unintentional harm and can help determine how, as a community and a municipality, we respond in these situations. I want to be undeniably clear that our Police Department will never target individuals based on their immigration status. The body-worn camera footage from the first responding officer will show that the target of ICE’s operation was already detained by federal agents prior to WPD’s arrival and that WPD did not assist ICE with the civil arrest. The footage of a family being torn apart is disturbing to watch but the municipality cannot interfere in or prevent a federal detainment. As a community, we must come together in support of one another and not allow external forces to divide us. Worcester has always and will always be a welcoming and inclusive city.
