PHOTOS: Following Listening Session with Unjustly Deported and Formerly Detained Constituents, Pressley Reaffirms Fight to Abolish ICE

June 16, 2026 PHOTOS: Following Listening Session with Unjustly Deported and Formerly Detained Constituents, Pressley Reaffirms Fight to Abolish ICE Pressley Has Stood in Vigorous Defense of Immigrant Communities in MA 7 th and Nationwide, Fought to Bring Detained Neighbors Home Photos (Dropbox) BOSTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led a closed-door listening session with unjustly deported and formerly detained constituents, emphasizing her commitment to abolish ICE in light of the harrowing, inhumane experiences endured by her constituents and their families. Joined by La Colaborativa partners, local leaders, attorneys, and advocates , Rep. Pressley held the listening session days after Republicans in Congress authorized $70 billion in funding for ICE to continue its rogue and violent operations with no accountability or reform. In Congress, Congresswoman Pressley has been a champion in pushing back against Trump, defending our immigrant neighbors , and calling for ICE to be abolished. Rep. Pressley leads legislation to bring accountability to families whose loved ones have been murdered and harmed by ICE agents, including the DHS Use of Force Transparency Act and the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act. “The testimonies I heard from families who have faced the violence and trauma of Trump’s mass deportation agenda were harrowing,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley . “The Trump Administration has weaponized immigration courts, separated families, jailed babies, and killed protestors and people in detention. The violence, separation, and trauma that this lawless agency is perpetuating cannot continue. ICE cannot be reformed—it must be abolished. I applaud the advocates, attorneys, and other legal representatives who have met this moment with unparalleled might and resolve. Their partnership is essential to protecting our neighbors and for the public good.” Joining Rep. Pressley and constituents for the listening session were Gladys Vega with La Colaborativa, Caitlyn Burgess with MacMurray & Associates , Andrew Lattarulo with Georges Cote Law, Todd Pomerleau with MA Deportation Defense, Gloribel Rivas with LUCE Chelsea, Jillian Nelson with Lawyers for Civil Rights, and Justin Fyten with Kids In Need of Defense. “In my district, and all across the state, immigrants are being subjected to a life filled with fear and anxiety like never before – they are scared to attend their healthcare appointments, go to work, go grocery shopping, go to school and to seek justice in our court systems or police departments,” said Senator Sal N. DiDomenico . “This is not how you create a vibrant and prosperous state, and I am proud to work alongside Congresswoman Pressley and our Chelsea leaders to restore faith in government and peace in our communities. I want to thank Congresswoman Pressley and La Colaborativa for hosting this essential community forum to give voice and space to our neighbors who have had their rights stripped away by the federal government. We are fortunate to have Congresswoman Pressley push forward each day and continue fighting against the hatred and division that is coming from the White House.” “When families come to us facing some of the most difficult immigration challenges, they need more than sympathy. They need action. Congresswoman Pressley and her team have consistently been there to help resolve complex cases and deliver answers for families when they matter most.” – State Representative Judith Garcia “We hold deep gratitude for the community members, comrades, Congresswoman Pressley, and her team for creating space to share stories, lessons, and strategies. We are especially grateful to our comrades at Delaney Hall who organized the recent hunger strike. At a time when many feel discouraged, they chose to organize, resist, and make their voices heard. The lesson from Delaney Hall is bigger than any single facility. There is no such thing as a humane detention center. From Delaney Hall to Pike County Jail, Wyatt Detention Center, Eloy Detention Center, and Plymouth County Correctional Facility, the call must be the same: close them all. Our communities have power. We do not have to accept injustice in silence. When people come together, organize, and take collective action, we are at our strongest.” – LUCE Immigrant Justice Network “Every day, we witness hardworking members of our communities being taken from their families, workplaces, and support systems and placed into immigration detention, often despite having little or no criminal history and posing no threat to public safety. We continue to see troubling failures throughout the immigration system, including a lack of meaningful due process, inconsistent application of the law, inadequate consideration of the facts and equities of individual cases, and a persistent lack of accountability when government agencies make mistakes or unlawfully deprive individuals of their liberty. These failures do not occur in a vacuum; they are occurring against the backdrop of policies and enforcement actions that have disproportionately targeted immigrant communities and communities of color, fueling fear and uncertainty among people who have long been valued members of our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and places of worship. Our clients are not case numbers—they are parents, children, workers, caregivers, business owners, and neighbors who deserve dignity, fairness, and the opportunity to be heard. While the challenges facing immigrant communities have never been greater, our commitment as advocates must remain unwavering.” – Caitlyn Burgess, Senior Lead Attorney with MacMurray & Associates “Thank you Representative Pressley for highlighting these abuses of power by the Trump Administration’s ruthless immigration campaign. The cases we’ve fought include the raids at the Allston Car Wash, the arrests and attempted deportations of crime and trafficking victims before their visa applications were processed, and the detention of working parents and children.  Massachusetts has experienced firsthand the wholesale trampling of due process rights of our noncitizen friends and neighbors. One such victim, Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, deserved better. She was shackled like a violent offender, detained without warning, and deported in violation of a federal court order. Rather than spending her time fighting an appeal from Honduras, she should be on campus at Babson College with her classmates—living her American Dream.  We stand ready to fight these injustices.” – Todd Pomerleau with MA Deportation Defense “Congresswoman Pressley’s important convening underscored the urgency of holding ICE accountable for its illegal and inhumane enforcement tactics. We are grateful to the brave community members who shared their stories. Lawyers for Civil Rights will continue to harness all available tools to fight to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of immigrant families and communities.” – Jillian Nelson, Senior Attorney with Lawyers for Civil Rights Photos from the event are available here . As immigrant communities have been under siege by the Trump administration, Rep. Pressley has been a leading voice in pushing back and defending our immigrant neighbors. Rep. Pressley has shone light on the inhumane attacks by ICE on immigrant communities and pushed back against the reckless agency. During Oversight Democrats’ bicameral shadow hearing on the use of violence by ICE, Rep. Pressley highlighted the urgency of the moment by uplifting stories of traumatized community members she met with during her trip to Minnesota with Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and invoking the horrifying detention case of five-year-old Liam Ramos . In the Massachusetts 7 th , Rep. Pressley has recognized and supported the many families torn apart and children suffering from the detention of a loved one—including harrowing attacks on Massachusetts families in their daily lives, abductions of dedicated workers at the Allston car wash, visiting Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk during her unlawful detention and pushing to bring her home, and more. Rep. Pressley has stridently condemned the trauma that Trump’s terror ICE campaign is forcing upon children. Rep. Pressley’s advocacy to protect children from abuse and trauma dates back to her days as a Boston City Councilor. In her first term in Congress, she partnered with the late Chairman Elijah Cummings to hold the first Congressional hearing on childhood trauma on the Committee on Oversight and Reform. Rep. Pressley leads the STRONG Support for Children Act , which would support communities in addressing childhood trauma through healing-centered, neighborhood-based, gender-responsive, culturally specific, and trauma-informed approaches that acknowledge the impact of systemic racism and inequities over generations. In May 2026, Rep. Pressley pushed for the closure of the Dilley Detention Center and other detention facilities committing human rights abuses. In a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley emphasized the state-inflicted trauma imposed on children by detention centers. In April 2026, the House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Pressley’s bipartisan discharge petition by a vote of 220-207 to extend Haiti TPS for three years. Congresswoman Pressley won a key procedural vote on the discharge petition and managed debate on the House floor prior to the successful final passage vote. Last month, Rep. Pressley’s discharge petition successfully met the 218-signature threshold to move forward with bipartisan support —only the 15 th discharge petition to do so in the last 40 years. In March 2026, Rep. Pressley visited the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Boston Field Office in Burlington , to conduct oversight of the operations and conditions of the facility.  Rep. Pressley engaged with ICE staff and leadership in a closed-door tour and discussion in the facility. In March 2026, Rep. Pressley and Rep. Dave Min (CA-47) introduced the DHS Use of Force Transparency Act of 2026 to ​​increase transparency and government oversight regarding injuries and deaths caused by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. In February 2026, during Oversight Democrats’ bicameral shadow hearing on the use of violence by ICE, Rep. Pressley demanded Congress end qualified immunity to ensure federal law enforcement officers are held accountable for breaking the law and murdering civilians. Rep. Pressley called on her colleagues not to settle for bare minimum reforms in funding negotiations for the Department of Homeland Security, instead urging them to fight to rebalance power and restore accountability. In February 2026, Rep. Pressley convened immigrant entrepreneurs and small business owners, community advocates, and municipal leaders to hear of the essential role that immigrant-owned small businesses play in Massachusetts’ economy and communities and how they are suffering under Trump’s attacks. In January 2026, Rep. Pressley and Senator Markey held a field hearing with members of the Haitian community on the importance of extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. Testimony was documented in the Congressional Record. In January 2026, at the invitation of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Congresswoman Pressley went to Minneapolis to meet with organizers and community members impacted by ICE’s violent operation in Minnesota, where they have murdered bystanders, terrorized schools and small businesses, and abducted children and parents. Following the ICE murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced the Qualified Immunity Abolition Act of 2026 , which builds on the lawmakers’ prior work by granting victims the right to sue federal law enforcement officers—not just state and local—for civil rights violations and abolishing the defense of qualified immunity in these suits. The expanded legislation would help deliver accountability for families abused by law enforcement, including ICE agents. Congresswoman Pressley delivered a floor speech on the need to end qualified immunity for federal law enforcement, including immigration officers. Watch the floor speech here . In January 2026, Congresswoman Pressley condemned the ICE murder of Renee Good in Minnesota and motioned to subpoena all records and footage related to the shooting, but Republicans obstructed it. Footage of Congresswoman Pressley’s motion to subpoena is here. In December 2025, Rep. Pressley convened and welcomed home the workers and families impacted by the cruel and unlawful ICE raid at an Allston car wash in November. Rep. Pressley delivered a powerful speech on the House floor condemning the Allston ICE raid and defended the vibrant immigrant communities who are being maliciously stolen from their homes, ripped from their families, and unlawfully detained and deported by the Trump Administration and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In June 2025, Congresswoman Pressley convened immigrant justice advocates, local leaders, and impacted families to tell Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Hands off our immigrant neighbors. Rep. Pressley has also been an outspoken critic against the unlawful detention of Rümeysa Öztürk , a Tufts PhD student, Somerville resident, and constituent of the Congresswoman’s who was unlawfully detained for weeks in retaliation for her protected speech. After weeks of advocacy and Congressional oversight , including a visit to detention centers in Louisiana, Rep. Pressley and Senator Ed Markey welcomed Ms. Öztürk to Massachusetts following her arrival from ICE detention in Louisiana. ### Back to News Next Article Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email