Former Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was found guilty of assaulting a police officer during an immigration operation last May, but not guilty of interfering with police.
A Worcester judge sentenced her to six months of administrative probation and 40 hours of community service.
Haxhiaj — who lost her reelection race in November — was among a couple dozen people who confronted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Eureka Street as they took a woman into custody. Worcester police said they arrived at the scene after receiving calls about crowd concerns, and alleged that Haxhiaj assaulted a local officer and interfered with their response.
During the trial, Haxhiaj grew visibly emotional at times. She testified that she was merely defending her constituents during the incident and that she didn’t mean to touch the officer. Her lawyer argued that Haxhiaj’s contact with the officer was a natural bodily response to being pulled by the officer.
After hearing the verdict and sentencing, Haxhiaj said she stood by her actions during the ICE operation.
“At every juncture, the justice system tried to shame me into admitting something I did not do,” she said in a statement. “It was important that I publicly challenged systems of power that sustain each other and hold police behavior to a different standard.”
The two-day trial involved testimony from police officers and other witnesses of the incident. State prosecutor Steven Gagne of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office argued that Haxhiaj violated police orders and intended to push the officer. The jury deliberated for almost three hours before reaching a decision.
Haxhiaj’s attorney, Elizabeth Halloran, said Haxhiaj hasn’t decided whether to appeal the verdict.
In November, Haxhiaj had asked a Worcester judge to dismiss the case. She argued that police body camera footage cleared her of wrongdoing and told supporters the charges were politically motivated. The judge rejected the request and sent the case to trial.
The immigration operation ignited tensions across Worcester. Body camera footage from that day showed Haxhiaj and other people pleading with federal agents not to take the woman into custody.
After the incident, activists accused Worcester officers of assisting ICE and using excessive force, continuing a pattern in the police department highlighted in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation. Worcester’s police unions countered that local officers showed up after receiving calls about the crowd, and denounced Haxhiaj’s behavior.
Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said officers on scene decided not to arrest her to avoid inflaming the crowd. Still Saucier applauded the decision to later press charges saying, “it is important for the public to know that if someone assaults a police officer or attempts to interfere with an arrest, he or she will be charged and held accountable.”
Worcester’s city manager Eric Batista — who oversees the police — issued an executive order after the ICE operation affirming that Worcester police will not work with federal immigration officials.
Haxhiaj was an outspoken advocate for police accountability and affordable housing throughout her four years on Worcester City Council. After the verdict, she said she remains committed to giving a voice to those who otherwise may not have one.
“We will not give up on our immigrant neighbors. We will not give into fear. We will always choose love,” she said.
