Crime & Safety
Former Worcester City Councilor Set To Stand Trial On Assault On Police Officer Charges
The charges stem from a chaotic ICE arrest on Eureka Street last year.
WORCESTER, MA — A former Worcester City Councilor is set to stand trial this week.
Former District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was accused of interfering with and assaulting a police officer while protesting against ICE agents who were arresting a mother in May. She was charged with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery on a police officer and one common law violation for interfering with a police officer.
Haxhiaj is due in court Tuesday to stand trial for those charges, according to the Telegram & Gazette.
The newspaper also reported that Ashley Spring, who faces charges, including assault and battery on a police officer stemming from the incident in May, is set to stand trial on Tuesday.
Related: Worcester City Councilor Charged With Assaulting Police During ICE Operation
In November, Haxhiaj ran for reelection for the District 5 seat, ultimately losing to Jose A. Rivera by a small margin.
Incident On Eureka Street
On May 8, ICE agents were detaining a woman on Eureka Street in Worcester. A group of 30 protesters tried to block the agent's vehicle from leaving. The group demanded that they not take 40-year-old Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira into custody.
One of those protestors was Haxhiaj, who police said obstructed the officers who tried to leave the area, grabbed onto a side mirror of the vehicle, and struck a police officer who was trying to intervene, according to multiple reports.
Haxhiaj pleaded not guilty in court in July, telling her supporters outside the courthouse, “I am resolute and unapologetic in maintaining my innocence,” according to a MassLive report from July.
Related: Worcester City Councilor Is 'Unapologetic' After Protesting ICE Agents: Report
Haxhiaj's supporters are calling on prosecutors to drop the charges. More than 100 people gathered outside of the District Attorney's Office a few weeks ago to urge that the charges be dropped, according Worcester Indivisible, a local political group.
ICE Policy In Worcester
This comes less than a week after the city amended its policy on how municipal employees and police officers interact with ICE.
The new policy prohibits WPD from assisting ICE with matters solely based on federal immigration enforcement, and prohibits the use of city property for ICE enforcement.
The updated guidelines come months after the initial policy regarding the municipalities response with ICE following the incident on Eureka Street. On May 16, Town Manager Eric Batista issued an Executive Order establishing guidelines for local response to ICE.
