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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A child was reportedly left alone on the street during a federal immigration operation in Waltham, Massachusetts, earlier this month, a city official said.
In a statement addressing the incident, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: "ICE officers conducted a vehicle stop and encountered an adult male driver and 13-year-old passenger—the adult was not the minor's parent.
"The driver was an illegal alien and was taken into ICE custody. Officers helped the 13-year-old contact a parent. The parent was informed of the situation and the child's location and declined to pick up their son. The parent confirmed that the residence was nearby and elected for the child to walk home within short walking distance."
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Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has made sweeping immigration changes since returning to office in January as he directs his administration to remove millions of undocumented immigrants under his flagship mass deportation policy. The White House has said anyone living in the country illegally is a criminal and has moved to revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants. Critics say increased immigration enforcement actions are sowing fear in migrant communities.
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What To Know
Waltham City Councilor Colleen Bradley-MacArthur shared a video with Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra that she said showed officers abandoning a child on a sidewalk on Fenton Street after arresting the individual the child was with.
Bradley-MacArthur told the outlet that she recorded the video while volunteering on a neighborhood watch walk with others. Newsweek has contacted Bradley-MacArthur for comment.
The councilor said masked officers had blocked the road with several vehicles, and one drove directly past her.
According to Bradley-MacArthur, when she inquired about the agency the officers were with, one responded, "You need to stand back and not interfere."
She said she stepped back and kept her distance while continuing to record the incident with her phone.
The councilor said the officers left without helping the child get home. Instead, other neighborhood watch volunteers accompanying Bradley-MacArthur walked the child home, she said.
"I couldn't believe that they would just leave someone there," she said. "The masks, right—that's so frightening to see masked men blocking the road, with the lights and the sirens."
Waltham has seen an increase in enforcement operations recently. On Tuesday, ICE agents apprehended two men traveling in the same vehicle. A video filmed by 16-year-old Milene Herrera, who was waiting for her bus to school, showed ICE agents breaking a window and arresting two men in downtown Waltham after the men appeared to disregard the agents' commands.
Meanwhile, on May 8, ICE agents and local law enforcement clashed with residents in a Worcester, Massachusetts, neighborhood. Footage of the incident appeared to show agents pushing residents who were protesting as federal immigration agents attempted to detain a woman.
What People Are Saying
Waltham City Councilor Colleen Bradley-MacArthur said: "Honestly, like, it felt like our community—seeing the video today—is under siege."
What Happens Next
The Trump administration's hard-line immigration enforcement operations are expected to continue.
Update 5/15/25, 3:19 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a statement from Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
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