U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents returned to the New Bedford area for a second straight day Tuesday, pushing the two-day arrest total past a dozen and prompting Gov. Maura Healey to join Mayor Jon Mitchell in publicly demanding the administration explain itself.
Agents made at least eight arrests Monday in an operation centered on the waterfront, with a second wave Tuesday morning bringing the total to more than a dozen. Video posted by LUCE New Bedford, a volunteer network monitoring ICE activity, showed a detained person placed in a black van at the Church Street MBTA station Tuesday, while another staging area was spotted at the New Bedford Industrial Park.
Healey addressed the arrests directly in a Tuesday statement, saying her office had "been hearing from alarmed family members and advocates in New Bedford" and that many of those detained "have lived here for many years and have families here." She said those arrested were on their way to work "at a fishing plant, supermarket and other key industries for the region," and noted her administration had heard of a young boy left waiting at school for a father who had been arrested. "ICE needs to provide information immediately," Healey said, adding that her administration "will continue to provide support to the community and families, but ICE needs to answer for their actions."
Mitchell separately called for an overhaul of federal enforcement tactics, saying agents "grabbed at least eight individuals who were going about their morning routines" with no indication of criminal records "beyond minor motor vehicle violations." City officials said they received no advance notice of either day's operation.
At least four of Monday's arrests involved workers at local fish houses. ICE has not publicly detailed the basis for the arrests or responded to requests for comment from local outlets.
Healey's intervention marks the latest flashpoint in her ongoing standoff with the Trump administration over ICE transparency in Massachusetts, following her March demand that the agency account for nearly 3,000 arrests statewide since last year.
