From Los Angeles to Minneapolis, and more recently in Maine, the increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other federal agents has caused a stir in communities coast to coast.
In Massachusetts, the activity has resulted in a grassroots volunteer organization working locally –and statewide– to look out for their neighbors.
“It’s watchful waiting; it’s not fear,” said Belmont resident Catherine Rockwood, who has observed an increase in activity at the ICE detention center in Burlington. “It’s something a lot more like logic.”
The federal policy of mass deportations has prompted protests around the country by those concerned with the escalation of violence by federal agents and the general lack of due process for targeted individuals. In recent weeks, tensions between ICE agents and protesters led to the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota. On New Year’s Eve, a man was shot by ICE agents in Los Angeles.
In Belmont, residents are organizing and networking with groups that work with the state’s immigrant populations. One of those groups is Belmont Rapid Response, which was formed last fall after a training session on how residents can play a role in holding federal agencies, including ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, accountable.
“What we have observed is that when people are taking photos or observing, it can act as a deterrent and record what actually happens in a situation,” said Fran Yuan, a member of Belmont Rapid Response. “We see that the government, or ICE, or homeland security can come up with their own made-up version of what happens until it’s refuted by evidence.”
“We’re seeing widespread erosion of civil rights in our country, and this is one place where I felt like I could get involved and actually push back against that erosion and do something that might make it a little less frightening for impacted families,” added Rockwood, who is also involved with Belmont Rapid Response.
Deportations are not new; in fact, they’ve happened under previous administrations, including Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama — the latter of whom was dubbed the “deporter-in-chief,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union. What’s different, however, is the public nature of these arrests, sometimes happening on the street, in businesses, or outside of courthouses.
“Deportations under any administration are wrong. Obama deported 3 million, and that was also wrong, but that is not the issue today,” Martha Durkee-Neuman, assistant minister at the First Church Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, said.
There have been weekly anti-ICE standouts along Concord Avenue organized by the church.
Durkee-Neuman referred to an incident in her neighborhood last May, during which federal agents surrounded a vehicle on the Watertown-Newton line, and when the occupants inside failed to exit, agents broke the passenger window and unlocked the door. WBUR reported at the time that, based on video footage reviewed by the news organization, the driver was punched and pinned to the ground. His passenger was also handcuffed.
Durkee-Neuman expressed concern over the amount of funding being poured into DHS, as well as the documented cutbacks in training its agents are receiving.
After years with a budget of roughly $10 million, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency — part of the Department of Homeland Security — is now working with an $85 million budget.
“We’ve seen a huge escalation in their violence and their violation of people’s rights over the last year,” Durkee-Neuman said.
The Trump administration has presented the deportations as the removal of “dangerous illegal aliens,” delivering on a campaign promise to “Make America Safe Again.”
“In President Trump’s first year back in office, nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 675,000 deportations,” U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a press release.
According to government records, a majority of ICE arrests have no criminal convictions, reported the Associated Press. Further, the DHS “worst of the worst” data account for just 4% of ICE arrests since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, according to data analyzed by the CATO Institute in Washington, D.C. Of those, more than half have not been charged with any violent crimes.
Durkee-Neuman volunteers with LUCE, an organization that advocates for immigrants’ rights and has been a resource for people who want to report ICE-related activity in their communities. According to Durkee-Neuman, there have been reports of activity in Belmont in recent months.
“More Belmont residents are connecting with organizations in the state that have been working on this already for a long time,” Rockwood said. “They’re getting trained and they’re learning who they can get involved with to learn how they can try to protect neighbors who might be at risk for violent deportation.”
Other area organizations include Boston-based Immigration Advocates Network and Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugees Advocacy Coalition.
Rockwood said it was encouraging to see the Belmont School Department put out a statement earlier this month on its response to the federal immigration policy. In her letter to families, Superintendent Jill Geiser said the department does not inquire as to students’ immigration status, and all residents of Belmont are entitled to an education in Belmont, regardless of their immigration status.
“Our schools are safe and welcoming environments. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are not permitted on school property unless they present a valid federal judicial warrant,” Geiser wrote. “In the unlikely event that such a warrant is presented, the district would immediately consult with legal counsel and the Belmont Police Department to ensure appropriate protections for students.”
Next month, the Belmont Human Rights Commission plans to host a community chat on immigration, followed by an informational session on immigration rights and law.
“That first session is really geared around how people are feeling right now, especially with the rise in ICE action around the country,” said Human Rights Chair Kim Haley-Jackson. “I think there’s a lot of angst and uncertainty in our community. We felt it was helpful, in speaking with the Select Board and the town administrator, that we have a community chat.”
The second of the sessions will be more informational, and MIRA training will be shared with attendees. District Attorney Marian Ryan, state Sen. William Brownsberger, and state Rep. David Rogers have been invited.
“This is the most divided, in my lifetime, I’ve seen the country and the fear and uncertainty,” Haley-Jackson said. “It’s scary to me. It has to be frightening to a lot of folks. I was born here, my family has been in America for centuries – I’m not from a family of immigrants, and I’m scared. I’m concerned for my neighbors, my friends, even those who are Americans.”
