Worcester City Manager Eric Batista Explains Amended ICE Policy and City’s Use of Municipal Resources

By-Hank Stolz

Photo-Radio Worcester

Worcester, MA- Eric Batista joined Talk of the Commonwealth to explain Worcester’s decision to amend its executive order governing interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying the move was intended to provide clarity, establish firm boundaries, and reassure the city’s large and diverse immigrant community.

Batista said the changes were proactive and not tied to a specific or imminent ICE operation in Worcester. Instead, the amendments followed weeks of discussions with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, community partners, and members of the state delegation, amid heightened national attention around immigration enforcement.

Under the revised policy, the city explicitly prohibits the use of municipal resources—including city buildings, open space, parking lots, and personnel—to support ICE operations. Batista emphasized that the policy does not prevent ICE from carrying out its federal duties, but it draws a clear line around what the city itself will provide.

“It’s just basically saying that we as a city, we’re not going to provide our resources for them to do what they want to do,” Batista said. “We’re not going to provide our buildings, our properties as a way for them to utilize that for their operations.”

The amended order also prohibits Worcester from entering into 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement officers to be deputized to perform federal immigration enforcement functions. Batista said this provision was included to codify long-standing city practice and ensure consistency going forward.

In addition, the policy formally establishes protocols for interactions between Worcester police officers and federal immigration agents. These include requirements that officers request identification from federal agents and document interactions using body-worn cameras, creating a clear record of any encounters.

Batista stressed that the city is not attempting to interfere with federal law or obstruct ICE operations. He acknowledged that local police do not have the authority to detain or arrest federal agents who decline to comply with city requests.

“At the end of the day, it’s a very sensitive and tough, difficult situation,” Batista said. “You cannot have an armed law enforcement agency and another armed law enforcement agency confronting one another in the community and the streets of our community.”

According to Batista, the primary goal of the amended executive order is to establish clear “rules of engagement” for city employees and law enforcement while sending a strong message to Worcester’s immigrant residents that the city government supports their safety and well-being.