More than 50 protestors forced Worcester city councilors to unexpectedly adjourn their meeting Tuesday night, the latest escalation of community tension following an immigration arrest last month that has galvanized activists.
The protestors packed into the City Council chamber, which was surrounded by more than 25 police officers who quickly responded to the scene. The activists remained peaceful, chanting “ICE out of Worcester now” and “No more ICE” for over a half hour until it was clear councilors could not continue their meeting.
Demonstrators railed against the city’s response to the immigration arrest on Eureka Street on May 8, including the recent announcement that Worcester police are charging City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj for her actions during the incident. The police department says Haxhiaj assaulted an officer and interfered as police arrived to deal with crowd concerns.
During Tuesday’s protest, people’s anger at city leaders was clear. Wearing masks and waving signs, they screamed, “Drop the charges!” and hurled profanity-laced chants at Mayor Joseph Petty, City Manager Eric Batista and the Worcester Police Department.
“If you represent a group and you don’t help the group, this is what happens. People get mad,” said Casey Rose, who attended the meeting and witnessed the entire protest. “Thankfully, there are people that actually are willing to voice their opinion.”
Editor’s note: The below video contains profanity. Viewer discretion is advised.
Protestors currently stopping a Worcester City Council meeting @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/050YRYKzEy
— Sam Turken (@SamZTurken) June 11, 2025
In a statement after the protest, Petty said he shared frustrations with federal immigration operations that have resulted in the detention of people who haven’t committed serious crimes. But the mayor added that forcing the early adjournment of a City Council meeting disrupts the city’s ability to help residents.
“This only prolongs issues that people are experiencing daily,” Petty said. “In order for us to move forward and take collective action toward ensuring people’s rights are respected, we must work together and have respect for one another.”
Activists said they had no choice but to disrupt the meeting because it would ensure their message reached Batista and other city leaders, who the demonstrators said haven’t seemed to care about their opinions. Before the meeting, some of the protestors held a small town hall gathering outside City Hall to voice their frustrations with the city. They’ve been holding the meetings every Tuesday since Petty closed City Hall May 13 due to concerns about safety during that day’s City Council session.
Activists said the recent charges against Haxhiaj were the latest example of city leadership refusing to hold the Worcester Police Department accountable after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation slammed police officers for “outrageous” behavior.
Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier has said the charges against Haxhiaj show that anyone who interferes with an arrest will be held accountable. But one protestor, Mysti Green, said body camera footage of the incident on Eureka Street shows Haxhiaj did nothing wrong.
“Etel is protecting the constituents. I seen officers pushing Etel several times,” Green said. “The police have a job. Who do they serve? Who do they protect? They’re not protecting us right now.”
As the protest Tuesday subsided, police officers escorted Batista and other municipal officials out of City Hall. Haxhiaj left the building by herself, mouthing “thank you” along the way to protestors who said they support her.
