Updated: Immigration Agency Detains Haverhill Individual

File photograph.

Story updated to reflect confirmation by federal employee.

Haverhill City Councilor Andy Vargas.

Haverhill City Councilor Andy Vargas.

A source has told WHAV agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an individual in Haverhill Tuesday and is holding the person at an unidentified detention center.

The individual has lived in the area about a decade and has no prior criminal record, the source said. ICE, as it is known, is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A federal employee, known to WHAV, but speaking on condition of anonymity because of privacy laws, confirmed the report. ICE has acknowledged it conducted “a series of targeted enforcement operations across the country.”

Haverhill City Councilor Andy Vargas used his personal social media page yesterday to report he is “Getting reports that ICE officials have already started to conduct raids in Haverhill.” He went on to ask, “Please spread the word and let your families become aware of your rights,” and posted information provided by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Literature shared by Haverhill City Councilor Andy Vargas on social media.

Literature shared by Haverhill City Councilor Andy Vargas on social media.

“My job as a city councilor is to inform and educate people on their rights,” Vargas said in a prepared statement. He went on to say, “In our country, human beings have rights. Even if you’re visiting from France, you have rights…when I receive compelling information about ICE activity in Haverhill, I’m going to take my job as a public official seriously and educate people on those rights.”

Vargas explained his goal.

“The intention is not to incite hysteria. Others are doing a fine job of that. These are real families that are living in fear of potential separation. I’m going to take every responsible precaution we can.”

A supporter of the individual arrested said Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been asked to assist. Warren’s office has not yet responded to an email inquiry from WHAV.

43 thoughts on “Updated: Immigration Agency Detains Haverhill Individual

  1. Boy, you wise men sure have an axe to grind with Vargas. WHAV confirmed with two sources…one being a federal official. In reality Vargas isjust telling people what their rights are ..and yes even immigrants and those undocumented have rights (see Supreme Court, James Madison, and more). If y’all are so tough, why don’t you document yourselves and voice your concerns with your real names.

    Have to agree with Dan when he says this is the dumbest thing Vargas could do for his political career…Dont fully agree with him, but it takes guts to shoot yourself in the foot for something you believe in

    • Kate no one is sending these illegal immigrants to jail they are questioning them and if they are deportable they will most likely be deported. The last president deported many illegal immigrants I don’t recall such an outcry about rights and due process when that was occurring…what’s the difference?..also after seeing how mature liberals react to opposing POVs I would rather remain anonymous…I don’t need any body fire bombing my house or yelling at my family and myself. If they reacted like most conservatives and just had a civil discussion then maybe real names could be used.

    • Kate….that was meant as a joke about using “real names”, right?
      If you pay even minimal attention to the news you should know how absolutely vicious liberals are for anyone who dares having an opposing view. The list of people who have been victimized by insane liberals simply because they don’t agree with the liberal agenda is a long one. Hobby Lobby, the owner of Chik Fil A, the entire state of North Carolina, and countless small business owners from coast to coast who made the mistake of letting their individual conservative opinions be known publicly. Even just a few weeks ago dangerous liberals rioted, and wrecked havoc by looting and burning cars and buildings on the campus of the U of California Berkley for the school just having a conservative scheduled to speak at the school. I feel very confident in saying that the outrage and insanity of liberals concerning this issue could lead to violence in Haverhill. The mayor has rolled out the welcome mat for criminal trespassers in this country illegally to make Haverhill home. Someone would be literally taking their lives in their hands by stating their real name on this site regarding this issue.

      If you disagree then you’re not paying attention to what this country has become.

  2. Retired Cop, if you read Andy’s Facebook page you will see why he isn’t a valid source. He is creating hype and there is still no confirmation on this activity.
    Again it hasn’t been confirmed, only by Andy and if you read his second comment he speaks of a person from Haverhill. Looks like he putting s different slant on it as he has been called out. Again it shows his immaturity and his desire to advance his career anyway possible.
    It also shows WHAV is trying to gain viewers/readership by reporting news that just isn’t there.
    In regards to protocol you mean to tell me that the Feds wouldn’t notify the police chief that they were running around in the city? Hard to believe for many reasons, one being safety. Not sure where you retired from but this isn’t Mayberry

  3. And the second source is Andy Vargas.. good attempt but your still wrong to run with this type of story unless it’s been confirmed. You are considered a media outlet for news, verify the news and then print.
    The mayor couldn’t confirm it, did WHAV confirm this story with the local police or state police? The competition reported that according to ICE they weren’t in the area.
    Again nice try HAV but your wrong

    • Dannyboy, assuming you’re correct, and I wouldn’t know one way or another, why would Vargas, an elected city councilor, not be considered a valid source? Coming from law enforcement, I’ll tell you local or state police–out of protocol and respect for another agency–would never confirm a story unless they made the arrest, which wouldn’t be the case here.

  4. Vargas has yet to confirm where this occurred yet on his Facebook page he and his supporters are running with this story.
    It is absolutely unprofessional and unethical that both media outlets are reporting a story that hasn’t been confirmed or even looked into to gather the facts.
    Andy has shown his immaturity by running with a story and now I see that he slanting it.
    he talks of peace. But read the comments of those supporting him, it is a far cry from peace

    • The story was updated since its original posting and confirmed by two separate sources. As thorough as WHAV tries to be–and considering the competitive media marketplace–WHAV was forced to rely on these two sources–one inside the federal government–because government policy is to “neither confirm nor deny.” The federal source cited privacy laws for not revealing identities. WHAV would be accused of worse if it ignored the story.

  5. They should send a trash truck around the city to collect all the politicians. They are all pieces of trash.

  6. haverhill voters it time to get with it. vargas should be voted out of office. he does no represent the people of Haverhill.

    • Buster I second that motion …check out the latest scam the state politicians just acted upon. They gave themselves a pay increase (no conflict of interest there). Please can we get some non-Democrat choices for the ballot…I’m sick of supporting these PC posers who do not have any fiscal responsibility and make decisions based on the latest liberal trends.

  7. Andy, your constituency is all of the AMERICAN CITIZENS who voted for you…. I DID NOT, because you are a self-proclaimed Community Organizer, and as everyone has discovered — this has caused all sorts of unwanted problems.

    Shame on you for supporting illegal aliens instead of those who live, work, and pay taxes in Haverhill, in Massachusetts, and Federal taxes. Instead you support people who entered this country illegally in the dead of night, who do NOT pay taxes, and if they do they have stolen someone’s social security number. They work “under the table,” and they suck off the teat of society requiring those of us who are legitimate CITIZENS to pay for their every need and who do not even belong here. We have a national debt of $20+ trillion dollars, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is considering increased taxes, the City of Haverhill is always looking for more money, so how are these illegals to be supported?

    You should be prosecuted and put in jail for supporting illegals instead of supporting those who do not belong in this country. Shame also on the Mayor of Haverhill, and on those City Councilors who signed on as supporters of illegal immigrants, who —- incidentally, broke the law by even coming here! If they want to get into the US, GET IN LINE and do it the right way —- LEGALLY!

    If the story can’t be verified and Andy Vargas will not come forward with anything but allegations, it is a non-story and should never have been published. Shame on Andy Vargas.

    • Angry old man yells at cloud. He never asked people to not follow the law. “My job as a city councilor is to inform and educate people on their rights.” Hispanic people aren’t evil but maybe you are? Trump lays down a big ole saucer of fear you’re all too happy to lap it up. What are YOU doing to make your country great besides tearing down other peoples lives? Volunteering? Speaking at committee meetings? or anonymously trolling local message boards? We may never know…But I’ve got a pretty good idea.

      • First off Andrew, why do you assume the above is an angry old man ? That’s some interesting bias huh ? Fear ? YES, people are scared. Do you lock your doors at night ? Why ?
        Who said Hispanics are evil ? Either a person obeys the law or they don’t and deserve punishment. It doesn’t discriminate regardless of how you may FEEL. How do you know these people on this site do not volunteer their time ? I’m sure that some have probably volunteered more years than you are alive. Your ” pretty good idea” is inaccurate.

        But I understand you concern as well. America is a place for people to come seek their dreams…..but it is to be Americans. To assimilate into the American culture. Now that does not mean you give up your specific culture or celebrating it. It means that American law and customs are what we abide by. That is what has made this country the greatest on Earth. You cannot skirt the laws of the very land you wish to become part of. It does not and cannot work that way. It never has as history proves over and over again.

        • Jack…Liberals always use the race card…it’s a sure thing in this PC world…you cannot honestly make a statement about someone who is non-white without suffering backlash. People are making policy decisions based on hurting peoples feelings and not on the facts.

      • I pay my taxes so people like you can spend my money and the money of other LAW ABIDING CITIZENS. Trouble is….. you and your ilk know how to dun me for my money and illegals live in that nebulous place where they get everything on my dime. They have no right to be here…. LEGAL IMMIGRATION is the way to go.

        Andrew, your job as a city councilor is to WATCH OUT FOR AND PROTECT YOUR CONSTITUENTS…. those who are here LEGALLY. And you would be angry too, if at every turn your pocket was picked. I never said Hispanics are evil people; defensive aren’t you? But, ALL WHO COME INTO THIS COUNTRY however, come here the LEGAL way.

      • I donate A SUBSTANTIAL amount of my time each and every week to volunteering — in all sorts of organizations. And you? What are you doing to make the world a better place. And I am not “tearing down people’s lives” —- they don’t belong here in the first place. They should be making their own country great, instead of bailing out.

  8. The job of a CITY Councillor is to protect LAW ABIDING CITIZENS OF THAT CITY first and foremost.

    If someone is here ILLEGALLY, they are BREAKING THE LAW and are NOT entitled to stay here.

    There is zero room for debate.

    Period.

  9. This is all politics for Vargas. He doesn’t want his voters deported. Anyone ever look at where Vargas raises his mone from? Illegal aliens. Let’s hope the Councilor is one and done as the majority of Haverhill now sees who this person is

    • I dis agree on the fundraising point. I looked, as some “claimed” that he raised all this money from “these sources” and ‘connections” but I found none of it. Unless I missed some stuff….Duncan Burns – I need a lifeline ! Ha

  10. The simple fact Vargas calls Warren tells me this whole issue is purposely being exploited for their own political gain. It also tells me Vargas has another long term plan. Mayoral run maybe ???
    Seems Vargas does not want to follow the law. So, how can he expect residents of Haverhill to follow any rule or regulation the council passes ? If Vargas and other politicians can pick and choose what laws to obey and disobey, why have laws at all and why can’t we do the same ??

    • If Vargas were planning on running for Mayor, the last thing he would do is talk about immigration. That would be the dumbest thing to do. Hillary won Haverhill, but not by much. I doubt this is a political play.

      • Hi Dan,
        I agree with you but….you have to understand the mindset of liberal Democrats. The whole party is driven by an agenda from the top down and all the foot soldiers, no matter what level of government they are at, are instructed to fall in line. Even after democrats have lost over 1,600 elected seats in all levels of government nation wide during the past two election cycles, they still spout the liberal positions and talking points that are wiping them out from coast to coast. Look no further than their dear leader Nancy Pelosi recently referring to criminal trespassers in this country illegally as “citizens”. They just don’t get it !!

      • …well my guess is that another reason why Hillary won is by illegal immigrant voting. If you implement voter ID laws (or remove illegal immigrants) then the DEMs may not have such a foothold. Playing the illegal immigrant race card is good for all DEM heavy communities as it is perfect Political Correctness (PC) (to appease the Legal citizens) and it gives illegal immigrants hope so they will always vote DEM.

    • Angry old man yells at cloud. He never asked people to not follow the law. “My job as a city councilor is to inform and educate people on their rights.” Hispanic people aren’t evil but maybe you are? Trump lays down a big ole saucer of fear you’re all too happy to lap it up. What are YOU doing to make your country great besides tearing down other peoples lives? Volunteering? Speaking at committee meetings? or anonymously trolling local message boards? We may never know…But I’ve got a pretty good idea.

      • Andrew, please explain how criminals who illegally trespass in this country have rights? I’ll save you a lot of time by telling you they don’t!

        Yet here is an elected public official defending them. Andy’s fiduciary duty is to protect the rights of citizens, not criminal trespasser illegally in this country. You do understand Andrew that Andy assisting them in the commission of their being here illegally is in itself a crime, don’t you?

        • I will explain. The Constitution uses careful wording to convey equal protection under the law to all people. The Constitution guarantees some rights to citizens only, but some rights apply to any person regardless of citizenship, as noted here:

          “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

          http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/rightsandfreedoms/a/illegalrights.htm

          All people in the American jurisdiction have the right to due process. Due process means the government doesn’t just come down to your house or work and just go looking for “criminals”. LEGAL permanent residents, LEGAL DREAM Act immigrants, and sometimes even natural born citizens can find themselves detained and denied the same legal protections that they are due.

      • Hi Andrew !…I work, pay my State, Federal and Social Security taxes so I can support American Citizens. Federal Taxes to support national infrastructure, Social Security to support American’s physically disabled and Seniors (who paid in), and State Taxes to pay for Police, Fire, DPW and Public schools. I DO NOT pay these taxes willingly to support welfare frauds / illegal immigrants (EBT, Medicaid, section 8 housing), or local state reps (who just voted themselves a 40% raise [no Republicans voted for a raise]).

  11. no empathy for children? Wow Jack a new low. So low you could play handball off a curbstone. But, hey you will be comfortable in the gutter.

    • ‘Handball off a curbstone” . That’s a good one Joey. Never heard that one. Used to play a lot of handball but I guess we would need one of those 10″ curbstones to do that.

      Maybe Jack has a point about Vargas. Do we know if he has been honest about his past ? Just wondering. But until WHAV confirms the story, we do not know if Vargas is just blowing smoke or not or if ICE did right or wrong.

    • You’re funny Mayor.
      So now telling the truth is “low”? With you being a liberal I’m not at all surprised that you would advocate for criminals and speak ill of those that would expose politicians that would protect them.

      Have you ever looked up Acorn Andy’s family lineage online? If you want to know the truth on why Andy is outspoken on this issue, it only takes a few minutes to check out. But, of course, neither you or I would have to be discussing this if Andy had any guts and just told the truth himself. Instead, he does what all you liberals do…he claims to be a victim of partisan politics and the big bad boogymen called Republicans. More hilariously is the fact that Andy, like all indoctrinated liberals, just can’t accept the fact that his family is now fearful of being held accountable for the laws they broke. To Andy, all of the fear they are now experiencing is somehow Trump’s fault, instead of them taking individual responsibility for their own actions.

      As a taxpayer for all of the years that Acorn Andy attended public schools, I’m sure I’m speaking for many people when I say that it would be nice if he showed a little respect for city taxpayers who footed the bill for him to attend city schools. Because this is where he was brought up when his parents came to this country illegally, at $16,000.00 a year Haverhill taxpayers spent almost $200,000.00 on his education. And now here he is advocating to allow taxpayers to continue paying for the cost of other criminal trespassers in this city illegally. People need to remember this when he is up for reelection.

      And Taxman, you’ll know I’m absolutely correct in everything I’ve written here today when Andy “doesn’t” comment directly on my statements himself. He’s of the generation to use social media to communicate on issues and does so constantly via Facebook and Twitter. Although he’s commented here on WHAV in the past, there is no way he’ll respond to my comments because he knows everything I’ve written is true. So you tell me Jimmy Taxes…if he was so sure in his position on this immigration issue why wouldn’t he use WHAV, the largest social media communication platform in the city, to get his message out?

    • Joe if someone is arrested for breaking the law and goes to jail what happens to their family? When people make a decision to put themselves at risk by immigrating illegally or robbing a bank they have made a gamble. Break the law and potentially go to jail…no one made that decision for them. There is a LEGAL process to get into our country just as there is a LEGAL method to withdraw money from a bank..Do the Crime / Serve the Time !!!

    • Good point so why run the story right ? For all we know it could be Haverhill, N.H. or someone with the same name somewhere else. Interesting.

    • Good point Duncan….but I believe the real story here is an elected public official, who has a sworn fiduciary duty to work on behalf of taxpayers, who is publicly taking actions to support criminals breaking the law. Through his actions Andy is literally “aiding and abetting” criminal activity. He is taking actions to support criminals in the commission of a crime. This makes Andy himself a criminal. There is no debating that issue.

  12. Andy Vargas….you should be arrested for aiding and abetting criminals in this country illegally!!!!
    The first step a person takes into this country illegally is a crime and makes these people criminal trespassers. Liberals manipulate the issue of people being in the country illegally by the language they use in describing them. Liberals try to legitimize these criminals with descriptions such as “immigrants” or “undocumented workers” or “aliens” or “refugees” or “dreamers”. Use all the inaccurate language you want Andy, but nothing changes their status as criminal trespassers. Being criminal trespassers from other countries gives them NO rights in this country. You liberals are in absolute panic mode now that we have a president who is actually enforcing laws in this country. What makes you think it’s okay to pick and choose what laws to enforce? Think of all the votes you’ll lose next time around Andy when you won’t have people supporting you at the ballot box illegally and you rewarding them with “Yo Vote” stickers.

    As usual, the mayor has it completely wrong when he says that you support your constituents well, Andy. Where were you Andy when two criminal trespassers in Haverhill illegally dragged a 19 year old Spanish girl into the woods at Riverside Park and raped her? Where was your outraged at protecting people of Haverhill then? Where is your outrage as a whole generation of young people your own age are being wiped out by the drugs being brought into this country by these criminal trespassers? You were at Swazey Field last summer Andy for the photo opps when gangs were shooting during Little League games there….where’s your outrage now?

    It’s time for you to be honest to the public, Andy!! Why can’t you just be honest about information that so many people already know about you and your family? Why can’t you publicly describe your own personal situation? The truth is Andy, that this issue of having a president enforcing laws against criminal trespassers is very personal to you and your family, isn’t it? People will think it’s harsh on me to be so blunt with calling you out here publicly on this, but that’s because you haven’t been publicly honest and forthright yourself!! It doesn’t take long on www. familysearch .com to look up your parents and their history in this country. It is also very easy to see your own history and how you came to be born in this country, Andy. Or should I call you Anchor Baby Andy? Stop hiding Andy!!! When a reporter or a legal citizen in Haverhill now asks you if your parents are in this country illegally you need to be honest about it. For anyone who wants to spend a few minutes, it’s very easy to find out the truth about your parents’ status in this country Andy.

    Andy, when you once again take a shot at Trump, like you are so fond of doing, by implying he is the one creating hysteria in this country by doing his job of enforcing the laws remember, the fear you and your family now have is the result of decisions your parents made, not Trump. Your parents are the ones who made the decision to come to this country illegally….no one else!! Just because we have lived under a president who didn’t enforce the laws in this country for the last 8 years doesn’t change your parents’ status and the crime they made of coming to this country illegally. They could have followed the laws of this country by applying to come here legally like millions of true immigrants do every year, but they didn’t. It’s time to man-up Andy, and realize there are consequences to breaking the law, even when it’s happening in your own house.

    • ^Isn’t this grounds for slander and defamation? Vargas’ parents and certainly here legally. In fact one was born in the U.S., LOL. Jack Haverhill never disappoints.