Worcester’s City Manager Eric Batista has issued a sweeping executive order that bars local police and city staff from assisting ICE in enforcing civil immigration laws. This follows public attention around a recent arrest involving ICE and a civilian who tried to intervene.
Key Facts:
- City Manager Eric Batista signed the executive order on May 16, 2025.
- The order prohibits Worcester city employees and police from helping ICE with civil immigration enforcement.
- Police may not inquire about immigration status or detain individuals solely on immigration grounds.
- The policy follows the release of police bodycam footage involving Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira’s attempted interference with ICE.
- Batista claims the order doesn’t prevent compliance with federal law when not focused solely on immigration status.
The Rest of The Story:
City Manager Eric Batista’s directive sharply limits the ability of local law enforcement and city agencies to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless a case involves more than just civil immigration enforcement.
The timing of the order came just after video footage surfaced showing ICE agents making an arrest, which a civilian tried to obstruct.
Batista’s executive order makes it clear that Worcester municipal employees are not to participate in federal immigration operations unless other legal violations are involved.
Police officers are also banned from asking about immigration status, using it as a factor in arrests, or holding individuals based solely on ICE detainers.
While the order includes language suggesting it does not prevent general cooperation with federal law enforcement, the practical restrictions significantly limit any role local authorities can play in supporting ICE operations.
The radical leftist City Manager of Worcester, MA (2nd largest city in all of New England) just announced an Executive Order banning the Worcester Police from working with ICE to apprehend illegal immigrants.
"Shall not inquire about immigration status."
"No person will be… pic.twitter.com/WAGqui3pUd
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) May 19, 2025
Commentary:
This executive order is not just reckless—it is a direct threat to public safety.
By tying the hands of local police, Batista is shielding those who are in the country illegally from any meaningful consequence, even if they have violated federal law.
This undermines the rule of law and sends a dangerous message: that Worcester is willing to put ideology over the safety of its citizens.
What’s worse is the timing.
The order came immediately after a citizen attempted to block an ICE arrest—essentially defending someone impeding federal law enforcement.
Rather than condemning that interference, Batista doubled down by penalizing the very officers trying to uphold federal immigration law.
This kind of policy invites chaos.
If local police are barred from cooperating with ICE, it creates gaps in enforcement that criminal networks can exploit.
Drug trafficking, gang activity, and human smuggling all benefit from reduced coordination between federal and local law enforcement.
Batista’s order also emboldens sanctuary city tactics that effectively create zones where federal law is ignored.
That’s unacceptable.
If cities like Worcester refuse to uphold federal immigration statutes, then the Department of Justice should intervene immediately.
State officials also have a duty to examine removal mechanisms to oust leaders who defy the Constitution and jeopardize public safety.
It’s time to get serious.
Batista should be removed from his position, whether by recall, city council action, or state authority.
He has proven that he cannot be trusted to protect the legal and lawful interests of the people of Worcester.
Furthermore, any municipal employee who actively blocks federal agents from doing their job should be held legally accountable.
If a city creates roadblocks for ICE agents, those responsible should face prosecution under existing federal statutes.
Federal immigration law is not optional, and cities that act like it is should lose federal funding and face legal consequences.
Batista’s order invites not just lawlessness but a complete breakdown of cooperation between city, state, and federal governments.
The Bottom Line:
Worcester’s city government is now refusing to cooperate with ICE, even when it could help keep the community safe.
Manager Eric Batista’s executive order all but protects illegal aliens from immigration enforcement, handcuffing his own police.
This policy weakens the rule of law and puts politics over public safety—something Worcester residents should not tolerate.
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