Federal immigration agents used an undocumented Brazilian woman’s two daughters and infant grandchild as “bait” to carry out a chaotic arrest in Worcester, Massachusetts, last week, according to an explosive new report in Rolling Stone.
The now-viral incident involving Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira, who entered the U.S. in 2022, began after the woman’s 21-year-old daughter, her three-month-old baby, and her 17-year-old sister were stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who were threatening to arrest one of them.
“Ferreira de Oliveira’s frightened daughter told her mother that she needed to leave the home now and come meet them on the street, because ICE was telling them that if they arrested Clara, they weren’t allowed to leave the baby in the hands of a minor,” according to Rolling Stone. “So, the feds insisted, grandma needed to rush over to take custody of the baby.”
Once the woman arrived on the scene, ICE agents were waiting and placed her in custody.
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“The agents suddenly no longer seemed interested in the 21-year-old daughter. ICE did not arrest her or her 17-year-old sibling,” the report added. The operation that targeted the woman, according to Rolling Stone, is now being hailed by the Trump administration "as another victory in its sprawling, often lawless crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration."
But the crackdown is having real-life consequences.
“They are traumatized for life,” one person familiar with the situation told Rolling Stone.
“We have an undocumented family who came to this country for reasons that are not public, who all live together, and they are now torn apart in a very violent and sensational manner,” the source said.
“The whole family is still in shock,” the person concluded. “These girls’ lives are shattered.”