New Bedford residents lined the steps and sidewalks in front of their City Hall to denounce immigration raids and demand that the mayor and City Council take action to protect immigrants.
The rally was sparked by an early morning raid March 21 where authorities forcibly entered a home without showing a warrant and arrested two Guatemalan men: José Antonio Garcia Garcia, 39, and Miguel Ordoñez Socop, 35, multiple speakers and organizers said. Three teenagers who were at home during the raid had guns pointed at them and were handcuffed until they could provide proof of legal residency, speakers said.
“Under this operation, ICE agents terrorized an entire community, our community, but more importantly, innocent youth were automatically criminalized,” Dulce Cisneros, 22, a volunteer at Mujeres Victoriosas, a women empowerment organization, told the crowd.
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From March 18 to 23, federal immigration officials said, they arrested 370 people in Massachusetts who were living in the US illegally, though it’s not clear who exactly was taken into custody, the Globe reported. The Trump administration has vowed to deport millions of people who entered the country illegally as part of a crackdown on immigration.
Around 20 percent of the New Bedford population is foreign-born, according to the 2023 census. Of that population, almost 55 percent are not US citizens.
Approximately 200 people of all ages held up signs that said variations of “keep families together” and “New Bedford loves immigrants.” They cheered on speakers who, speaking in both English and Spanish, told the three teenagers’ story and encouraged unity and advocacy within the community.
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Lynea Gilreath, a teacher, called on Mayor Jon Mitchell and City Council members to listen to the feelings of fear and anger from local residents and take direct action to keep everyone safe and together.
“It’s the community that you see here today that is making sure the children whose families are being ripped apart are fed, have a shoulder to cry on, emotional support, clothes on their back, and shelter,” Gilreath said. “It’s your job as the people responsible for your constituents to make sure there is an actual plan of action, that there is a solution to getting ICE out of our city and out of our streets for good.”
Cisneros, who has lived in New Bedford her whole life, said she is “deeply concerned” about the actions of federal immigration officers in the community and the increase in misinformation used to turn people against each other.
“I have never seen such hate towards my community and division within our city. I grew up constantly surrounded by diversity and that brought our community together, and we’re seeing that now being the very thing that is tearing our country, our city apart,” she said. “It’s up to us not to let it tear our city apart.”
Loud claps and whistles swept through the crowd when she closed her remarks with, “We won’t be divided.”
New Bedford Public Schools Superintendent Andrew O’Leary said schools and hospitals must remain safe for immigrants.
“On March 21, my sons woke up safe and warm,” he said. “They went to school at New Bedford High School, and then later that day, I learned that some of our students on March 21 did not make it to school and were put through unconscionable terror and violence that day, that’s unacceptable.”
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State Representative Christopher Hendricks said the immigrant experience in the city will always be strong.
“In New Bedford, we value immigrants, but we also value community, family, hard work, and in my opinion, above all else, the law,” Hendricks said. “The reports of ICE operating within our city without the warrants is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable.”
Kelly Haggerty, a mother in New Bedford, encouraged the crowd to listen to each other, educate themselves, and never assume.
“Please remember the majority of people came here seeking safety,” she said. “They too, do not want unsafe community members.”
“I’m just so angry,” Jeanne Motyl, 67, of New Bedford, said regarding the crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration.
Holding a sign filled on the front and back because she said there is too much bad going on, Carol Strupczewski, 79, said she is here to “fight for democracy.”
“This is an attack against the United States of America, and we need to fight for the freedom,” Strupczewski said. “We’re in a horrible mess nationwide.”
Talia Lissauer can be reached at talia.lissauer@globe.com. Follow her on Instgram @_ttphotos.