BOSTON — Sen. Ed Markey, one of Massachusetts's two US Senators, has used his verified Facebook account over the past three days to publicly escalate against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — starting with a call for civil disobedience, moving to an explicit demand that the agency be defunded and abolished, and ending with a characterization of Haitian nationals in the US Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program as "our friends and neighbors" ahead of expected Trump-administration deportations.
Day one: 'Take to the streets'
Three days ago, Markey wrote:
"We cannot allow Donald Trump to undermine our free and fair elections. And when he sends ICE agents to the polls — we must turn civic action into civil disobedience. Take to the streets. Sit in. Protest. Withhold our labor. That is our charge."
The claim that the Trump administration is sending ICE agents to polling places is not something Markey or any Massachusetts election official has documented in any specific way. Massachusetts is not currently holding a general election. Markey did not cite any specific incident.
Day two: 'Defund ICE. Abolish ICE.'
Two days ago, from an event in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Markey posted:
"Defund ICE. Abolish ICE. End qualified immunity. Grateful to come together in Plymouth today to make our voices heard."
"Defund" and "abolish" were both applied by Markey to ICE — the federal agency that arrests and removes illegal immigrants, including those with criminal charges pending. "End qualified immunity" was applied to law enforcement generally.
Day three: 'Friends and neighbors'
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The most recent post, published Sunday, extended the argument to Haitian nationals in the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program:
"Donald Trump is preparing to deport thousands of our friends and neighbors back to a country his own administration deems unsafe for Americans to visit. TPS holders are integral to our communities. Extend TPS now."
Attached to the post was a TIME magazine link headlined "ICE Reportedly Set to Ramp Up Operations Against Haitian Migrants After TPS Ruling."
What ICE has been doing in Massachusetts
While Markey has been escalating rhetorically, ICE Boston's own recent operational record in Massachusetts includes multiple arrests of Haitian illegal immigrants with pending or documented criminal charges — not TPS holders in good standing, but people whose legal status Markey's post does not distinguish from the "friends and neighbors" cohort.
Mass Daily News has previously reported on:
- Benson Baillard — Haitian illegal immigrant arrested by ICE Boston on May 5, 2026, with pending charges for rape, strangulation, two counts of witness intimidation, threats to commit a crime, assault and battery on a family or household member, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
- A Haitian illegal immigrant with a pending rape charge whose ICE detainer was ignored by Brockton District Court, allowing him to walk free before ICE picked him up separately.
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- A Haitian illegal immigrant previously arrested for beating a person over the age of 60 and assaulting another with a dangerous weapon.
Every one of these arrests was carried out by the same ICE agency Markey now says should be defunded, abolished, and resisted through civil disobedience. Markey's three posts do not distinguish between Haitian TPS holders in good standing and Haitian illegal immigrants with pending violent-felony charges.
What Markey did not address
Markey's three-day escalation does not distinguish between Haitian TPS holders in good standing, Haitian nationals living in the country illegally, and Haitian illegal immigrants with pending violent-felony charges. All three groups are folded into a single "friends and neighbors" category.
The senator's office did not publish any post recognizing the Baillard case, the Brockton detainer-ignored case, or the elderly-assault case — all of which occurred inside his own state during his current term.
The context
Markey is up for re-election in 2026. He is being challenged in the Democratic primary by US Rep. Seth Moulton, whose campaign was within six points of the incumbent in a late-June University of New Hampshire poll. The Massachusetts Democratic primary is September 1. On the Republican side, John Deaton — the attorney who ran against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024 — is seeking the GOP nomination.
The Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this year that it would not renew Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, ending a designation first extended after Haiti's 2010 earthquake. The end of TPS is the driving event behind the reported ICE ramp-up Markey's third post references. Markey has filed his own bill to extend Haitian TPS through statute. That bill has not received a Senate vote.
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