Overview

• The City Council approved a resolution prohibiting the Worcester Police Department from joining the federal 287(g) program, which allows local officers to partner with ICE and hold detainees in local jails.
• City Manager Eric Batista previously issued an executive order directing police not to assist ICE or ask about immigration status, and he said police refused an ICE request to tow a detainee’s car.
• Councilors Donna Colorio and Morris Bergman voted against the measure, with Bergman arguing the department was not considering a 287(g) agreement.
• Council members said Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira was granted asylum this week, though WCVB reported she remains in custody.
• Mayor Joseph Petty called the action largely symbolic and described residents avoiding doctors and school out of fear, noting Worcester’s sizable foreign-born population.