Three teenagers were arrested by federal immigration agents after being taken into custody by police in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on Thursday, family members tell Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, claiming local police were cooperating with ICE.
The father of one of the youths was also arrested — all in front of the Chelsea Police Department.
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WATCH HEREThe teenagers were arrested by police after allegedly being caught with a pellet gun. When family members arrived at the station, police released them, but ICE agents were present outside.
Video from the scene showed family screaming and crying as one of the boys was taken into custody; an ICE agent was also seen inside the station interrogating people, asking one person who said they didn't have status in the U.S., "what's going to happen is we're going to take you too, okay?"
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SIGN UP ICE responded to Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra's request for comment Saturday morning saying, "For officer safety, ICE does not comment on ongoing operations."
A representative for Chelsea police said the agency is not collaborating with ICE agents or notifying them. They said that everyone who is arrested has their fingerprints taken, and that could be what is alerting them.
The sister of one the youths who was arrested said that police "obviously" do work with ICE, and said that she had young children with her at the scene who are now distressed.
"Now, my children are afraid. At night, they woke up scared, saying, 'The police are bad, the police are bad,'" Lynce Guerra said.
Chelsea is one of eight so-called sanctuary cities in Massachusetts, whose agencies are directed not to assist with immigration enforcement. In February, it filed a lawsuit with another sanctuary city, Somerville, against the Trump administration over its threats to cut funding to sanctuary cities.
Organizations that help immigrants offered a reminder Friday that silence is a right.
