U.S. Attorney in Boston issues warning on 'interference' with ICE

United States attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley issued an unusually pointed warning Wednesday about "interference" with immigration agents, saying her office "will investigate any violations of federal law and pursue charges that are warranted by such activity."

The statement comes amid a couple weeks of ramped-up activity around Massachusetts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. And it follows a high-profile ICE detainment in Worcester last week, in which protesters tried to stop agents from arresting Rosane Ferreira De Oliveira — sparking a large response by local police.

Foley called the alleged interference with ICE operations around the state "disturbing, to say the least." She said the conduct poses "significant public and officer safety risks. It is conduct that should be vilified rather than glorified."

Foley also said she would "not stand idly by if any public official, public safety officer, organization or private citizen acts in a manner that criminally obstructs or impedes ICE operations."

Last month, regarding a different ICE case, the U.S. attorney also weighed in. She told local law enforcement and a judge in a court filing they had no authority to interfere with federal immigration agents and that any such action would "not be tolerated."

Heather Yountz of the nonprofit Mass Law Reform Institute in a statement called out Foley for staying silent on the ICE arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University student who was detained for six weeks for writing an opinion piece criticizing Israel in the school newspaper.

Yountz said Foley is reacting now to "the public horror at videos of ICE officers in masks dragging people out of cars and tackling them to the ground, footage of hoards of ICE officers chasing immigrants through the street or shattering glass car windows just inches from someone's face." She added, "If this isn't weaponization of the Justice Department, I don't know what is."