A chill ran through the communities of Acton and Boxborough last week as eyewitness accounts and official statements revealed a heightened, and often opaque, presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. An employee of an agency that provides services to low-income families said that many immigrants have become fearful of going out and are unable to pick up food and other resources they depend on. The sight of masked men in unmarked cars detaining individuals on local streets has ignited a fierce debate about transparency, due process, and the role of federal immigration enforcement in a democratic society.
Eyewitness Accounts Detail Frightening Encounters
On Friday, May 30, 2025, Acton Select Board Vice Chair Alissa Nicol witnessed what appeared to be an ICE operation unfolding on Massachusetts Avenue (Route 111), just east of VillageWorks. “I was on my way to the water district headquarters Friday morning and witnessed this scene on Mass Ave,” Nicol recounted. She described masked men in unmarked vehicles detaining individuals. By the time she parked and walked across the street, the vehicles were already turning around to leave, heading west. At least three buses carrying elementary school students passed the scene during the operation. Nicol told the Acton Exchange that when she went to work later at the Merriam School, she learned that a student had needed to process the event with a school counselor.
Another Acton resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, provided a more detailed and harrowing account of the same incident, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Route 111, across from RJ Grey Junior High School and the Parker Damon building (home to Merriam and McCarthy-Town elementary schools).
“I heard police sirens directly behind me and pulled over, unsure what was happening,” the resident recalled. “The unmarked car with lights flashing went around me to park, and I saw a few other unmarked cars pull up in front of it. It took me a minute to register what was happening.”
The resident described seeing officers emerging from the unmarked vehicles wearing dark gray masks, specifically designed to conceal their faces. “One of them waved me through, so I drove past the row of police vehicles and saw a brown-skinned woman was in the driver’s seat of the car they had pulled over. She looked frightened as they spoke with her.”
The eyewitness attempted to document the scene. “I parked just beyond the row of police cars to see if I could get a picture or video, but I did not have a good view. I drove the short distance to work, and from there, called the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network, who fortunately already had been notified and had video of the event.” This resident also confirmed the presence of a school bus passing by the scene during the detention.
The anonymous resident expressed profound distress over what they witnessed. “I was shocked and shaking. It was hard to get my bearings, and surreal to see so many agents materialize so quickly, with lights and sirens, as people were dropping their children off to school. I wanted so badly to help the woman in the car, but didn’t know how. It took me a while to calm down and be able to go about my workday. It felt wrong to do that, when someone’s life had been upended in front of me. I am still distressed by what I saw, and very, very angry.” The resident believes these operations are driven by executive orders to deport undocumented immigrants, aiming to instill fear, and expressed frustration that “not enough is being done to stop it.”
Statement from the Boxborough Police Chief
The following day, Saturday, May 31, Boxborough Police Chief John Szewczyk confirmed the awareness of increased federal activity. “We are aware that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has conducted operations in Boxborough and in neighboring communities in recent weeks,” Chief Szewczyk stated. He emphasized the Boxborough Police Department’s clear policy: “It is the strict policy of the Boxborough Police Department to not enforce federal immigration laws and to not aid federal agents in their immigration enforcement activities, ensuring we follow the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision in Lunn v. Commonwealth. Accordingly, we will continue to value and respect the rights of all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, in the most transparent and accountable manner.”
Lack of Transparency Sparks Concern
The lack of information surrounding these operations has been a central point of contention. The ICE Office of Public Affairs (OPA) has not responded to inquiries regarding the identities of those detained or the reasons for their apprehension.
However, acting ICE director Todd Lyons, speaking at a press conference in Boston on Monday, June 2, shed some light on the scale of recent enforcement. Lyons announced that 1,461 people have been detained during a month-long operation across Massachusetts. Of this total, 790 of those arrested had criminal convictions or pending charges for illegally reentering the country.
This explanation has done little to quell concerns among state officials and community advocates. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, speaking on Monday, criticized the lack of transparency, asserting that it “instills fear in immigrant communities instead of protecting public safety.”
On May 29, Campbell’s office issued guidance for immigrants, families, and communities on ICE enforcement, stating, “Arresting people without any criminal record or allegations of criminal activity, detaining individuals in broad daylight without due process, and promising to patrol neighborhoods with no oversight, is not reflective of a democratic society — it’s a threat to it.”
State Representative Dan Sena, who had issued a statement condemning ICE activity in Acton back on May 13, issued a condemnation of the latest federal actions on Monday, June 2. “ICE is not welcome in our communities. I am outraged by the recent ICE actions in Boxborough and across Massachusetts. These actions are unjustified and disturbing. Our immigrants are valued members of our community, and they should not have to fear for their safety. We will continue to fight these racist policies and to fight for justice.”
Despite the growing local and state-level opposition, acting ICE director Todd Lyons made it clear that federal operations would continue, regardless of potential non-cooperation from local authorities. “Make no mistake, ICE is going to keep doing this,” he stated at the press conference. “We’re going to keep coming back.”
Monday Morning Raids: More Detentions, More Questions
In fact, there were additional reports of ICE activity in Acton on Monday morning. Social media buzzed with accounts that ICE had detained two individuals at the Iris Court Apartments.
Ellen Derek, who was an eyewitness, said, “Both men were taken away in handcuffs. They have wives and children, and work seven days a week for a landscaping company.” She added, “A masked ICE officer took a picture of me and of each of the LUCE people on the scene.”
Acton Police Chief James Cogan said, “ICE notified the Acton Police Monday morning that they planned to be in town. They did not provide any additional information.”
As unmarked cars continue to appear on local streets and the debate over immigration enforcement intensifies, residents of Acton and Boxborough are left grappling with the balance between federal authority and the protection of community members’ rights and safety. Area residents held an emergency protest at Acton Town Hall on June 1, reported in another article in this issue.
Greg Jarboe writes on a variety of topics for the Acton Exchange. He is a former editor of the Acton Minuteman and a former chair of the Acton Select Board, and a current member of the Acton Finance Committee, Public Works Facility Committee, and the Economic Development Committee.