At least 40 immigrants detained in ICE sweep across southeastern Massachusetts
At least 40 people were detained by ICE agents in roadside stops and workplace encounters across New Bedford, Dartmouth, and Fall River, Massachusetts, according to Gov. Maura Healey and immigrant advocacy groups, with arrests also reported at Cumberland Farms, Market Basket, near fish houses, and at a Dunkin' on Nauset Street. A review of court records for 23 of the men by the New Bedford Light found 19 had no criminal charges beyond immigration-related misdemeanors, consistent with national data showing most ICE detainees lack criminal convictions. Video footage showed agents tackle and apply a taser to Augusto Lopes Vemba, a 40-year-old asylum-seeker from Angola, after he ran during his arrest near Acushnet Avenue. Attorneys with the Habeas Project of New England, a team of 20 volunteer lawyers, have filed habeas corpus petitions in federal courts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to contest the detentions and prevent transfers out of state.













