‘Don’t kidnap kids’ — Everett residents, city councilors demand ICE return 13-year-old to Mass.
Residents in Everett on Tuesday night demanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) return a 13-year-old boy who was arrested and taken to a juvenile facility in Virginia.
More than 80 people attended a rally outside of Everett City Hall in support of the boy and his family. The rally was organized by LUCE Immigration and Justice Network of Massachusetts and La Comunidad , an Everett non-profit that helps Latino and Hispanic families.
Standing outside in the rain with solemn looks on their faces, many protestors held signs that read "Don't kidnap kids" and "Hands off Everett."
A sign reads "Don't Kidnap Kids" during an anti-ICE protest on Tuesday.(Adam Bass/MassLive.com)
The 13-year-old, whose family is from Brazil, was transferred to a juvenile facility in Virginia from ICE's Burlington facility on Friday morning, according to attorney Andrew Lattarulo.
In a post on the social media platform X , Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed the 13-year-old "posed a public safety threat" and had a firearm and a 5.7-inch knife when arrested Oct. 9. McLaughlin also claimed the boy had a history of "violent assault with a dangerous weapon, battery, breaking and entering, destruction of property."
During a press conference on Tuesday , Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria confirmed the boy had a knife but said he did not have a gun.
Many at Tuesday's protest, however, expressed anger and concern that a 13-year-old was taken to another state, regardless of their possible criminal history.
Standing among protesters in drizzling rain after speaking to the crowd over a megaphone, La Comunidad Executive Director Antonio Amaya told MassLive he did not believe the boy had a weapon during the arrest. He said even if the boy did have one, it was wrong to send a 13-year-old 500 miles away from home.
"What is happening ... we (don't) want that to happen again," Amaya said.
Councilor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin said the child should have received help at Everett Public Schools and called on ICE to send him back to Massachusetts.
"This is not about what you did," Jabouin said. "This is about due process."
Everett City Councilor-at-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin speaks during an anti- ICE protest in Everett, where a 13-year-old boy was arrested and transferred by the agency.(Adam Bass/MassLive.com)
Jabouin and Councilor President Stephanie Martins stood outside with the protestors before the Everett City Council meeting Tuesday. Martins said the council supports due process for the boy, while Jabouin warned the rights of others could be taken away.
"Everybody should be concerned, " Jabouin said. "That's what should get us angry, as parents, as grandparents, as teachers."
Lloyd Poithier, a 12-year-old at the rally, told MassLive he couldn't believe the boy would have had a knife or a gun. Though he wasn't close with the 13-year-old, Poithier said he was a good kid, and the only bad record he knew about was misbehaving in class.
"He's pretty good at riding a bike," Poithier said. "He's good at soccer. Me and my friend Justin, we got cooked (by him in soccer)."
Some cars honked their horns in support of the rally as they drove down the street. Others, however, did not share encouraging words.
"ICE is doing their jobs," shouted a man across the street. "Send them all back."
At 6:45 p.m., the protestors marched up to the city council chambers to speak about the arrest during public comment.
The room was packed, with residents' faces drawn towards the center of the chamber as they quietly listened to people speak.
State Sen. Sal DiDomenico, D-Middlesex and Suffolk, decried ICE as a rogue agency, telling agents to get out of Everett.
"Bring back this child and stay out of our community," DiDomenico said, his voice rising.
During the meeting, Councilor-at-Large Katy Rogers demanded McLaughlin be fired for her statement about the boy on X, claiming she spread misinformation.
"We will not stand by when the federal government creates a false narrative of our city and the people who live here," Rogers said to cheers and hollers from the crowd.
For several of those who spoke, however, fear was a common sentiment.
Residents said they do not wish to live in fear in Everett and they are citizens who pay their taxes like everyone else. Poithier and his friends said they did not feel safe in the city after what happened to the 13-year-old.
"It feels like they are taking people off the streets," Poithier told MassLive.
More stories involving ICE
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
