BURLINGTON — On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Burlington police responded to the Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 1000 District Avenue after Federal Protective Services officers reported that about 40 protesters were blocking the administrative entrance.
According to Burlington Police Chief Thomas P. Browne, after about 40 minutes of officers attempting to de-escalate the situation by asking the protesters to leave the area, most of the protesters relocated to the free speech area outside the building’s security envelope.
“In an act of civil disobedience, 11 protestors refused to move from in front of the entrance, prompting the Burlington Police Department to arrest those individuals,” Chief Browne said.”Federal Protective Services also issued a verbal no trespass order to the individuals, and will be issuing a written order at a later date.”
Burlington police released the 11 protesters from custody after consulting with the clerk magistrate at Woburn District Court. The protesters are expected to receive summonses for trespassing and disturbing the peace.
“The Burlington Police Department prides itself on strong community partnerships,” Chief Browne said. “We have been in regular contact with the organizers of the ongoing protests outside of the ICE office, and while it is never our initial goal to resolve a situation with an arrest, this was a clear act of civil disobedience in which the parties involved were intentionally blocking the entrance and seeking to be arrested. 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.”
Chief Browne said the incident pulled nine police officers from other assignments, including patrol, to manage the incident and maintain order during what he described as an ongoing, emotionally charged protest situation at the site.
“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,” Chief Browne said.
