Chelsea residents gathered at City Hall for a rally following recent detentions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which have raised concerns in the local community. According to Boston 25 News, the rally, called "United We Stand," took place yesterday and brought together dozens of supporters advocating for two young men detained by ICE agents last week.
One of those detained is 19-year-old Belizario A. Benito Vazquez, a Chelsea public schools student. According to Boston 25 News, he was taken into custody last Thursday, the day after being summoned by ICE despite having appeared before an immigration judge in May and complying with asylum procedures. The second individual, 20-year-old Geovani De La Cruz Catalan, had recently graduated from high school. He was detained at his family’s home. His stepmother, Mayra Balderas, who serves on the Chelsea School Committee, referred to the incident as an "injustice" and said, “We are going to fight for our rights.”
WCVB also covered the event, noting that community members voiced concern over the impact of recent ICE activity. One resident said, “Our community has been hit hard with what’s going on with ice and the deportations. I sat one day, literally two days ago, and my heart couldn’t take it anymore.”
