Protests against ICE agents at Hyatt Hotel in Medford

Photo of João Estrella in Unsplash

More than 100 people gathered outside the Hyatt Place Hotel in Medford to protest the alleged housing of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at the facility. The demonstration, which took place Thursday night and lasted until 10 p.m., was a continuation of a similar protest that took place last Saturday.

Attendees denounced the growing ICE presence in the region and expressed solidarity with the immigrant communities of Medford and neighboring Somerville, where an increase in arrests has been reported. Recent cases include Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University graduate student, who was detained for 45 days after her arrest in March.

Initially convened through social networks by Lucy Pineda, coordinator of Latinos United in MassachusettsThe demonstration also brought together members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The protesters carried signs with messages such as “Stop deporting our families” and “ICE Out of MA”.

What are the protesters demanding?

“We want to draw attention to the fact that Hyatt is working with ICE,” said Daven McQueen, a former visiting professor at Tufts. For others, like protester Tali, the importance of the protest lay in “empowering immigrants who are afraid to leave their homes or go to work today.”

The testimony of a 12-year-old girl who attended with her father reflected the tension many families experience: "I feel like this situation has made my family feel very insecure. It's made my life worse and put me in a bad mood. Before, I could do things without feeling afraid.".

While some participants claimed that ICE agents were indeed staying at the hotel, management at the Hyatt Place in Medford said they were unaware of this information. The hotel did confirm that it had received noise complaints following the demonstrations.

For protester Hersch Rothmell, the protests are a success because they have managed to mobilize the community: "They're giving people optimism and hope that we can make a real difference in the war on immigrants.".

A new protest has been scheduled for this Saturday, suggesting that social pressure against private companies collaborating with ICE will continue in the Boston metropolitan area.

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Sources:

• The Tufts Daily