An East Somerville resident was taken Monday morning by federal agents, with its aftermath captured on video by another resident, state representative Mike Connolly said on social media. The Wisconsin Avenue abduction was confirmed by the city of Somerville, and by Ward 1 city councilor Matt McLaughlin, who said it was the second abduction within hours out of the neighborhood.
Another resident had been taken at around midnight from a nearby street, McLaughlin said. A spokesperson for the city could not confirm an abduction hours earlier, but believed McLaughlin referred to an abduction case from a day earlier, from around midnight on Saturday.
“Masked and menacing Homeland Security agents abducted one of my East Somerville constituents,” said Connolly, whose 26th Middlesex district also covers East Cambridge. He shared a video taken of masked agents in at least four unmarked SUVs interacting with residents after removing a man from his home early Monday.
The City Council has passed a resolution seeking to ban the wearing of masks by federal agents and to force them to provide identification upon request. The resolution was filed by JT Scott, who represents Ward 2, on Thursday.
The Wisconsin Avenue resident was taken while he was doing his laundry, residents said. A masked man wearing a vest that labeled him as police said agents were there to arrest people “breaking the law.”
Connolly said he was “in touch with colleagues at all levels of government as we work to gather more information.”
This morning, masked and menacing Homeland Security agents abducted one of my East Somerville constituents. Thankfully another constituent captured this video to document the presumed kidnapping. I’m in touch with colleagues at all levels of government as we work to gather more information.
— Mike Connolly (@mikeconnollyma.bsky.social) 2025-09-15T19:31:46.156Z
Less was known about the the midnight incident described by McLaughlin. The city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs said it was working with the “family of a man who was detained on Broadway on Saturday night around midnight,” said Denise Taylor, a city spokesperson. “Staff connected him to pro bono legal support, a habeas corpus petition was filed on his behalf and the city and schools are working on additional supports with his family.” Police were not able to get official federal confirmation of the detainment, Taylor said.
A spokesperson for Somerville said the city, once alerted to an abduction, connects remaining family members with legal help and worked to support them, but that following when residents were taken was “getting increasingly challenging.”
Approximately 30 people who live or work in Somerville have been detained since the start of the calendar year, based on reports to the city by community members, Taylor said. Overwhelmingly, those apprehended have been of Brazilian origin and have not been convicted of any violent crimes. Likely the first was Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was snatched from her street March 25.
“They are Somerville residents, workers in our small businesses, parents of kids in our school district, young people contributing to our local economy. They are our neighbors and our friends. Some are lawfully present, while others have had their immigration documents lapse,” Taylor said.
City takes action
On Monday, city staff identified the abducted man by piecing together information from multiple community members, and “lawyers from an area nonprofit have readied a habeas corpus petition for the individual as soon as a family member accepts that support,” Taylor said. The petition refers to a legal call to bring a detained person to court and to explain and justify why they are being held.
In any such instance, “city and school staff including the City’s Office of Immigrant Affairs are surging assistance to family members of detainees as they seek to find their loved ones, access legal support and pick up the pieces in the devastating wake of the loss of a parent, provider or loved one,” the spokesperson said, but “swift identification of detainees is critical in filing habeas corpus petitions to keep them in Massachusetts near loved ones and to protect their due process rights.”
News releases from a website of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency don’t report actions locally since July 18. For Cambridge, there have been no news releases or statements since May 12.
Attorneys and activists in the neighborhood
East Somerville has a strong immigrant community – three-quarters of businesses there are immigrant-owned, McLaughlin has said. He warned in February that residents of East Somerville were already being pushed into “hiding” by the federal government, and that there was “a real fear amongst both undocumented and naturalized American immigrants who are afraid of being mistaken for being undocumented.”
As the day went on, Connolly said, he learned more about the abduction on Wisconsin Street. Residents acted on behalf of the man who was taken along with the city and himself, he said. “There were both attorneys in the neighborhood as well as activists, so people acted quickly and engaged Greater Boston Legal Services. My understanding is they have stepped in and are preparing a habeas petition,” Connolly said.
In addition, Connolly said he has been in contact with the office of U.S. representative Ayanna Pressley and “am hopeful that they can advocate directly to the feds.”
This post was updated Sept. 15, 2025, with more information about a late-night abduction. It was updated Sept. 16, 2025, with information about how many Somerville residents or workers have been taken by federal agents.
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This mask ban for public officials needs to have been passed 6 months ago.
Tom Holman is protecting ICE Agents. After Charlie Kirk and 8647==Left left assassination culture. How many more Deaths do we need?? ICE needs masks and assassination culture Massachusetts can’t over rule the Feds.