11 Protesters Arrested At Burlington ICE Facility, Police Say

BURLINGTON, MA — Eleven people were arrested Tuesday after blocking an entrance to a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement building in Burlington, police said.

About 40 people were blocking an administrative entrance to the building at 1000 District Ave. Police were called in and attempted "to de-escalate the situation by asking protestors to leave the area," police said in a statement.

A majority of the protesters went to the free speech area outside the building. However, 11 protesters remained in front of the entrance. Police said they arrested those 11 people.

Police said they worked with the courts to have all those arrested released, who will be issued a summons to appear in court at a later date on charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace.

The Burlington ICE facility has been the subject of controversy and frequent protests due to the alleged mistreatment of detainees. In September, three protesters were arrested after they attempted to bring food to people detained at the facility.

Related: 3 Activists Arrested At Burlington ICE Facility, Police Say

Police Chief Thomas Browne said in a statement that "while it is never our initial goal to resolve a situation with an arrest, this was a clear act of civil disobedience in which the parties involved were intentionally blocking the entrance and seeking to be arrested.”

Browne also said that the incident pulled nine police officers from other assignments.

"Protestors have been at this facility virtually every day since April 2025, and the ongoing situation has resulted in a significant deployment of public safety resources that would otherwise be deployed elsewhere in this town of nearly 30,000 residents, which almost triples each day with the vast number of people who work within Burlington,” Browne said in a statement.

Related: Congressman Says He Was Denied Access To Burlington ICE Facility