Burlington police detail impact of ongoing ICE facility protests on public safety after 11 arrests

BURLINGTON, Mass. — A recent protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Burlington, Massachusetts, forced officers to be redirected from other public safety duties, highlighting the ongoing strain such demonstrations have placed on local resources, Burlington Police Chief Thomas Browne said.

Officers responded Tuesday morning to the facility at 1000 District Avenue after receiving reports that about 40 protesters were blocking the entrance. Authorities said officers asked the group to leave, and while most complied, 11 people refused and were arrested.

According to Browne, the protest required nine officers to be pulled from other assignments. Similar demonstrations have been occurring at the site for months.

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Video from a protest about a week and a half earlier shows officers managing crowds outside the facility. Browne said the repeated responses require significant public safety resources that would normally be used elsewhere in the community.

“Protestors have been at this facility virtually every day since April 2025, and the ongoing situation has resulted in a significant deployment of public safety resources that would otherwise be deployed elsewhere in this town of nearly 30,000 residents, which almost triples each day with the vast number of people who work within Burlington,” Browne said in a statement.

It remains unclear how many times police have responded to protests at the site since last year or how many total arrests have been made.

Browne also emphasized the department’s approach to balancing civil liberties and enforcement.

“The Burlington Police Department respects the First Amendment rights of our citizens, and we are also duty-bound to uphold the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” he said.

Police said the 11 people arrested on Tuesday were participating in an act of civil disobedience and are expected to face trespassing and disturbing the peace charges.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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