While federal immigration agents detained over 30 people this week in New Bedford, Dartmouth, and Fall River, officials and groups are pushing back against ICE’s actions.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association has issued a statement, attributable to MTA President Matt Bach and Vice President Deb Gesualdo, stating that ICE needs to leave now.
“As educators, we are proud to serve any student that comes through our school doors, regardless of immigration status. Immigrants are part of what keep communities like New Bedford and Fall River thriving, and we are outraged that ICE is targeting parents and students in these communities, including parking near fish houses and schools and detaining our community members who are simply trying to go to work or drop their kids off at school. When students are worried about whether their parents will make it home, it makes it hard for them to learn, and parents who are worried about taking their kids to school will often keep them home.
“When students are worried about whether their parents will make it home, it makes it hard for them to learn.
“We demand that ICE leave these communities in peace immediately. We call on state leadership to ensure the safety of these families and that all policies related to the PROTECT Act are meaningfully enforced.”
The Department of Homeland Security told GBH News the Trump administration is “utilizing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President Trump promised,” and that “anyone who has been deported received full due process.” ICE’s Boston office separately said it routinely conducts operations across New England and does not disclose details of ongoing actions for operational security. When asked about this week’s South Coast arrests, ICE declined to discuss specific targets and instead pointed to other Massachusetts cases involving people with criminal convictions.
DHS and ICE have also argued that Massachusetts officials are “putting politics above public safety,” that sanctuary-style limits force a more visible federal presence, and that people arrested in operations cited by Gov. Maura Healey were in the country illegally, with many having criminal records in the United States or abroad.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor, said there was no indication that several people detained Monday had records beyond minor motor vehicle violations. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan drew a sharper line stating that he has “no problem with dangerous cartel members, drug dealers, violent criminals being taken out of the city,” but not with broader street enforcement.
The MTA’s call to enforce the PROTECT Act refers to the state law signed in August that restricts civil immigration arrests at schools, courthouses, and medical sites. ICE has not said this week’s arrests were made inside those protected locations. Agents were reported near fish houses on MacArthur Drive, grocery stores, gas stations, the Dartmouth Mall staging area, and streets in Fall River.
