Radio Roundtable – When Immigration Enforcement Meets Local Politics

By Hank Stolz | Radio Worcester

Photo-Radio Worcester

WORCESTER, MASS.- The Radio Roundtable looks at how what is happening nationally with immigration policy and ICE raids is affecting the local Worcester election. City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj has pleaded Not Guilty to charges stemming from Eureka Street. The Roundtable discusses the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law and how the events of May on Eureka Street can impact the election in November. Hank brings up to the Roundtable Ben White, Matt Wally, Guillermo Creamer, and Randy Feldman to discuss campaign issues he sees starting to emerge, such as the role of a city councilor. Is it to concentrate on potholes and public safety or to tackle national issues? Stolz sees candidates running on the city council not being the United Nations. In this case, however, you have a national problem that directly affects many in the city.

Creamer feels Haxhiaj’s actions on Eureka St. help her politically in November. “When you have a city counselor that’s sticking up against ICE, because that’s the narrative here for her, I was doing work against this agency. It’s not that I was doing work against the Worcester Police Department. I was doing work against the ICE agency. That is the narrative, and that’s the narrative I would stick by as well.”
Stolz and Wally see it as equally helping her opponent, Jose Rivera. Wally feels that candidate Rivera has handled the controversy surrounding the ICE arrest on Eureka St. perfectly.