Mass. city shocked after federal agents pull over work van, arrest two

wcvb.com · By Sera Congi · 2025-04-25T22:30:00Z

Federal agents, some in masks, with multiple unmarked vehicles, stopped a commercial van in a Winthrop neighborhood Friday morning and took at least one man into custody.The arrest happened around 7:30 a.m. Friday, near the intersection of Buchanan Street and Pleasant Street.Nearby resident Scout Grifoni was shaken by what she saw."He was showing his ID, saying he has a wife and kids," Grifoni said. "The face masks were disconcerting as well, it makes me feel uneasy as a civilian in the United States seeing police officers, who are supposed to be protecting and serving, covering their faces. It made my heart start racing."Videos show and witnesses told NewsCenter the agents appeared to be with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security. The owner of the van said agents took two of his employees into custody. He said one has a legal permit to work and a drivers license. The other has been going through the asylum process. He also said the agents had a photo of an alleged criminal they were looking for, but it did not match anyone at the scene.Some Winthrop residents support the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions to remove immigrants living in the country illegally, while others say those living peacefully should not be targeted."Stop hunting people, and just work on immigration reform," one Winthrop resident said."They’ve created whole communities and they’re just ripping them apart," another resident said.It is unclear why the men were taken into custody, but the incident left some unnerved."It's intense, I just hope he gets the due process he deserves and gets to go in front of a judge," Grifoni said.The van owner said before this happened, agents stopped at his home. He said he showed them his drivers license, but it wasn't until he showed his U.S. passport, that the agents were appeased.NewsCenter 5 reached out to ICE but have not yet heard back. WINTHROP, Mass. —Federal agents, some in masks, with multiple unmarked vehicles, stopped a commercial van in a Winthrop neighborhood Friday morning and took at least one man into custody.The arrest happened around 7:30 a.m. Friday, near the intersection of Buchanan Street and Pleasant Street. Nearby resident Scout Grifoni was shaken by what she saw."He was showing his ID, saying he has a wife and kids," Grifoni said. "The face masks were disconcerting as well, it makes me feel uneasy as a civilian in the United States seeing police officers, who are supposed to be protecting and serving, covering their faces. It made my heart start racing."Videos show and witnesses told NewsCenter the agents appeared to be with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security. The owner of the van said agents took two of his employees into custody. He said one has a legal permit to work and a drivers license. The other has been going through the asylum process. He also said the agents had a photo of an alleged criminal they were looking for, but it did not match anyone at the scene. Some Winthrop residents support the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's actions to remove immigrants living in the country illegally, while others say those living peacefully should not be targeted. "Stop hunting people, and just work on immigration reform," one Winthrop resident said."They’ve created whole communities and they’re just ripping them apart," another resident said.It is unclear why the men were taken into custody, but the incident left some unnerved."It's intense, I just hope he gets the due process he deserves and gets to go in front of a judge," Grifoni said.The van owner said before this happened, agents stopped at his home. He said he showed them his drivers license, but it wasn't until he showed his U.S. passport, that the agents were appeased.NewsCenter 5 reached out to ICE but have not yet heard back.