In March, Berkshire County was rocked by a series of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. At least a dozen residents were detained amid President Trump’s crackdown on the immigrant community. As reported by WAMC, activists have closely monitored the agency’s quiet but ongoing presence in the region in the weeks since. This morning, that silence was shattered by a raid in the heart of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Agents in masks and bulletproof vests, some carrying automatic rifles, were seen taking a yet unconfirmed number of town residents into custody in the downtown’s central parking lot. Town Police Chief Paul Storti confirmed to WAMC that ICE had contacted the police department about its plan to come to the town early Tuesday morning. He said the federal agency did not disclose its objective to Great Barrington Police, and that the department had not asked. Great Barrington selectboard member and Triplex Cinema Creative Director Ben Elliott witnessed the raid and shared his account with WAMC.
ELLIOTT: I was on my way into work at around nine o'clock this morning, and saw a crowd assembled around the entrance to the Barrington House complex across the parking lot from the Triplex, people out filming, and it became clear that there was a few unmarked SUVs as well as a SWAT vehicle on the premises, and I learned that it was ICE agents and U.S. Marshals conducting a raid throughout Great Barrington, and in the process, took two men out of their apartments from the Barrington House.
WAMC: Now, can you describe the scene for us? I've seen videos, it was quite a dramatic scene. Can you talk about the appearance of the agents and what was going on? How did the community react to their presence?
Yeah, there were a lot of responders there trying to advocate for the rights of the men being detained. Definitely part of the confusion stemmed from the fact that the officers were not very forthcoming in identifying themselves- They were not wearing any identifying badges or vests that said anything other than police, they were not driving vehicles that were marked with any sort of identifying plates, they were all civilian plates, and they were all, except for the one officer leading the operation, were wearing face coverings.
From your perspective as a community leader and a member of the Great Barrington community, what was the atmosphere like? I mean, that's a pretty intense thing to watch.
It was incredibly intense and very upsetting to watch. These are our neighbors- I know at least one of the men works in the restaurant directly across from the Triplex here. You know, [they’re] members of our community. There was a lot of anger, a lot of upset. It was a mix of people who had been prepared for this and were there to try to do everything they could to make sure the people being detained knew their rights, as well as just people who were downtown getting coffee, and all of a sudden, saw men with assault weapons, their faces covered, show up to take people who were not being violent and would not, and then see these officers who would not answer any questions about what they were doing and why they were here with such force. They brought in a battering ram, seemingly prepared to knock down the doors. They did not have to that, everyone seemed to come peacefully. But it was just a very charged sight to see. I work here, I grew up here, I've spent so much time just in this little plot of land, and to see that kind of display here is really jarring.
As far as a greater message to the Great Barrington community in the wake of this, what are you trying to communicate to other folks in Great Barrington, in whatever capacity- A community member, a selectboard member? I know a lot of folks are very disturbed by what's happened.
Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing today is that we need to know exactly what to do when this kind of thing happens. I unfortunately I do not think this will be the last time that we'll see this. There were some amazing responders on the ground who had proper training, and I think that's the kind of thing that, if anyone's looking for, what can we do, it's to know exactly what to do in a situation like that- Know our rights, know how to communicate the rights to the people being targeted, and to find groups in our area who are doing that training and providing resources to the people that need it, because we really everyone needs the help that they can get right now, and to kind of get the word out of what we can do to help our neighbors.
I spoke with Police Chief Storti about the situation, and he told me that the Great Barrington police department had been informed that ICE intended to come to Great Barrington early Tuesday morning. Any thoughts on what that means to have that information having been in the hands of leaders in the Great Barrington community prior to these detentions?
Yeah, that's something I'm still trying to understand myself. I know that our police department has a policy to not- We are a sanctuary town, that we do not abet these kinds of operations, and I know that our officers did not help in any way. I know that, as you said, that they were given a heads-up early before, but I don't think they were giving me any more details than that, so I don't have the full story right now. I'm hoping to learn more. I have been talking to the police to kind of- They’ve been helpful in kind of giving all the information that they have. They're trying to get as much information about where the men have been taken and what is happening. Whether or not that will be forthcoming, I don't know, but this story is obviously unfolding, and there's a lot to learn right now.
