Detainment on Middlesex Road caught on video; officials mostly mum on what happened

A video recently sent to The Waltham Times shows a man being detained on Middlesex Road outside the ReNew Waltham apartment complex on June 28.

The individual who submitted the video claimed the officers were with U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement and said the officers followed the detained man from Waltham District Court on nearby Linden Street to the apartment complex before detaining him. 

Neither of these claims could be verified by The Waltham Times.

The individual who submitted the video did not respond to requests for comment, but told The Waltham Times that she informed Fuerza, local immigrants rights and ICE watchdog group, of the event.

The individuals who made the detainment had the word “police” printed on their uniforms but no insignia.

A spokesperson for the Waltham Police Department said that he was unable to confirm the identity of the officers in the video, but that the individuals in the video were not members of the Police Department.

“It is not uncommon for other law enforcement agencies to make arrests in our city. We have no concerns with other agencies exercising their legal authority here,” the spokesperson said in an email.

The lack of information regarding what was seen on this video is part of an ongoing pattern, where city residents share either eyewitness accounts or video of people being detained yet local, state and federal sources release no information or decline comment.

For example, when contacted by The Waltham Times about the incident, Jonathan Paz, founding member of Fuerza, a local immigrant rights and ICE watchdog group, said the detained individual’s family members were not comfortable sharing the identity of the individual. Paz declined to provide any further comments about the incident.

Mayor Jeanette A. McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.

The Waltham Times also contacted ICE and received no comment on the incident.

Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley MacArthur said she learned of the detainment that day and was concerned that the identity of the officers in the video could not be identified.

“The ultimate harm is that we don’t know who’s who anymore. And when you have rights being violated and you have this uncertainty about who’s operating in your community, it absolutely is a safety risk,” she said.

Bradley-MacArthur said these types of incidents sometimes make her feel helpless, as she feels that these detainments are seemingly taking place in the community on a regular basis.

She also said membership in Fuerza has increased as a result of such concerns.

This increase in membership, she explained, assures her that a movement is being built by volunteers who are committed to informing citizens of these detainments.