Honking at undercover ICE car set off Worcester arrest firestorm, family claims
The daughter of Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of three who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 8 at Eureka Street, says that the arrest of her mother started after her partner honked at an undercover car with ICE agents.
Augusta Clara Moura, the 21-year-old daughter of Ferreira-De Oliveira, presented new details about how ICE arrested her mother as well as her partner, and how she was threatened with arrest by ICE agents.
Through her attorney, Andrew George Lattarulo, Clara Moura said her partner Samarone Alves Ferreira-De Souza, who is also the father of her 3-month-old baby, was arrested by federal agents the day before ICE took her mother.
Lattarulo is also representing Ferreira-De Souza.
Ferreira-De Souza had honked at a car that cut him off while he was driving to work, according to Clara Moura. The car turned out to be an undercover ICE vehicle and agents arrested him.
'He had committed no crime,' according to Clara Moura.
Ferreira-De Souza is currently being held at the Pine Prairie Correctional Facility in Pine Prairie, Louisiana, according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS).
DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Ferreira-De Souza on Thursday.
On May 8, the day after Lattarulo said Ferreira-De Souza was arrested, Clara Moura said ICE came to her home, telling her to return her partner's car and sign immigration paperwork.
She said she left her house with her 17-year-old sister and her baby, intending to comply with the order.
'That's when ICE stopped my car and told me I was under arrest,' Clara Moura said. 'Since I was with my baby, I called my mother to come take my son.'
When her mother arrived, ICE agents attempted and succeeded in arresting her.
Clara Moura claims that ICE agents also attempted to take her baby from her but they backed down due to protests from neighbors.
Lattarulo told MassLive on Thursday that ICE threatened to arrest Clara Moura and her 17-year-old sister, an account that matches exclusive reporting from Rolling Stone Magazine, which reported that Clara Moura and her sister were used as 'bait' for ICE to arrest their mother.
Clara Moura launched a GoFundMe on Wednesday that details how ICE arrested her mother and partner and how she was threatened with arrest by agents.
Lattarulo said that he and his spokesperson helped organize the GoFundMe for Clara Moura.
The donations to the GoFundMe will go towards food, clothes, shelter, legal fees, bail and other urgent expenses, according to Clara Moura. As of May 15, there have been two donations, one worth $20 and another worth $50, according to the GoFundMe.
'Now I am living in fear,' Clara Moura writes. 'I'm staying with friends, unable to return home or retrieve any of my belongings or my baby's things. I cannot work, and I'm struggling to survive.'
Eureka Street erupted into pandemonium on the morning of May 8 as ICE agents arrested Ferreira-De Oliveira — Clara Moura's mother. More than 30 people confronted federal agents that morning, demanding to see a warrant and shouting at them for their actions.
Ferreira-De Oliveira was already placed in a car by 11 a.m. that morning, according to Jill Phillips of Worcester, who was at the scene.
Worcester police officers were then called to the scene for a report of a federal agent who was surrounded by a 'large group of about 25 people,' according to a statement from the Worcester Police Department (WPD).
At the scene, officers saw several federal agents from various agencies attempting to leave in a car after arresting a woman, police said.
As the car was pulling away, Ferreira-De Oliveira's underage daughter, who had a newborn in her arms, stood in front of the vehicle attempting to halt it, police said. Officers told her that she was endangering the baby and that she needed to move.
The daughter complied and gave the baby to another woman.
As her mother was taken away in the car, the daughter ran after it and kicked the passenger's side.
It then appeared as if she was going to run in front of the moving car, police said.
Worcester police then moved to arrest the daughter, who was pushed to the ground by police.
The daughter was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to police.
Following her release from custody, the daughter is now with family friends along with Clara Moura, the baby and another daughter of Ferreira-De Oliveira, who is a minor.
Ashley R. Spring, a school committee candidate, was also arrested that day. She was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers.
Appearing in Worcester District Court on May 9, Judge Janet McGuiggan entered a not-guilty plea on Spring's behalf. Spring was released on her own personal recognizance and is scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial hearing on June 23.
As of May 15, Ferreira-De Oliveira is currently being held at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, R.I., according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS).
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Ferreira-De Oliveira of entering the country illegally in 2022, according to a statement from the agency, which was shared with Spectrum News 1 Worcester.
Lattarulo told MassLive on Monday that she was seeking asylum.
The statement also reads that Worcester police arrested her on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant victim.
Court records obtained by MassLive read that Ferreira-De Oliveira was suspected of using a phone-charging cable to strike a pregnant relative three months ago.
She initially appeared in court on Feb. 3, where she pleaded not guilty and paid $500 cash bail, according to court records. Her last court appearance was a pre-trial hearing on March 24.
On Tuesday, Judge Zachary Hillman scheduled Ferreira-De Oliveira's trial date for July 18, according to court filings.
In the wake of the arrests on Eureka Street, protests have been held in Worcester, the most recent one taking place on May 13 outside City Hall.
The rally, which was organized by Mysti Green, Walter Crockett and members of the progressive political group Worcester Indivisible, featured signs with phrases such as 'Crush ICE.' One poster presented an image of Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista wearing a vest that reads ICE.
Chants for ICE to 'get out of Worcester' rang throughout the common as people banged on drums and rang cowbells.
Initially, the rally was set to take place leading up to a City Council meeting on Tuesday at 6:30. The meeting was switched from in-person to virtual after the rally was announced. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said city officials received 'threats of violence.'
Some residents did attend the virtual city council meeting, with some speaking during a public comment period in order to admonish the city council, the city administration and WPD.
Some accused the department of collaborating with ICE in their operation on Eureka Street.
'There are two explanations for this,' said Marcus Palumbo of Clark University at the meeting. 'Either you, the council, have completely lost control over the police department, or you are actively complicit in their actions.'
In his comments during the meeting, Petty said that there needs to be an understanding of what Worcester Police Officers can do when it comes to dealing with ICE. Last week, Petty filed an order asking City Manager Eric D. Batista and Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier to draft a new policy regarding interactions between city officials and ICE.
'I take this seriously,' Petty said. 'I think the Worcester Police Department went to the scene and were trying to calm things down. And this is why we need to have a policy and protocols on how we interact with ICE.'
City Council Vice Chairman and Councilor-at-Large Khrystian King praised District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj for her leadership during the incident on Eureka Street. Haxhiaj was one of many people who confronted ICE agents on Thursday during the arrest of the mother.
King also renewed his call for a civilian review board to provide police oversight and said there could have been a better response to how Worcester Police Officers handled the arrest of the mother's daughter.
'This child should have been held, she should have been restrained. She wasn't trying to harm anyone,' King said. 'She was trying to save her family and doesn't speak the language. We don't know what was going on in her head. We can do better and we must do better.'
Worcester taxi driver attacked after requesting cab fare, police say
GoFundMe raises money for family of woman detained by ICE in Worcester
US Attorney says interference with ICE in Mass. has been 'disturbing,' won't be tolerated
Read the original article on MassLive.
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