Overview
- Fitchburg police reported ICE requested assistance at 7:10 a.m. and again at 8:03 a.m. after a traffic stop on Kimball Street escalated into an attempted arrest.
- Officers described the scene as hostile, briefly closed part of the street, and said their role was limited to maintaining safety without enforcing immigration law.
- Police said the woman at the center of the stop was taken into federal custody at 8:57 a.m., while the man and a child present were allowed to leave.
- Witnesses said agents pulled a man from an SUV by the neck and reached into the vehicle to separate the woman and child, with one witness alleging agents warned the child could go into state custody.
- Local outlets said ICE did not respond to requests for information about the nature of the arrest as coverage continued amid heightened regional scrutiny of recent enforcement actions.