Overview
- Immigration agents stopped a white SUV just after 7 a.m. on Kimball Street, requested police assistance at 7:10 and again at 8:03 as a hostile crowd of about 20 gathered, and a section of the street was briefly closed.
- Fitchburg Police said their role was to keep the peace and ensure safety, emphasizing that they do not enforce federal immigration laws or interfere with lawful actions by other agencies.
- Witness video shows the male driver appearing to seize as agents reached into the vehicle, with bystanders shouting concerns while agents pulled on the straps of a baby carrier.
- At 8:57 a.m., agents took the woman into ICE custody, and police said the man and toddler were allowed to leave the scene.
- ICE identified the detainee as Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, an Ecuadorian national with a prior local charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, while a DHS official said medics found no legitimate medical episode and witnesses disputed that assessment.