Violent threats have been made against City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj and her family after she pushed back against Trump administration border czar Tom Homan’s vow to bring “hell” to Boston.
A city councilor in Worcester, Massachusetts, will be attending meetings virtually after violent threats against her and her family.
District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj says she was just trying to defend Boston as a sanctuary city after President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, threatened to bring "hell." But now, she's afraid for her safety.
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WATCH HEREHaxhiaj chose not to speak out of fear of retaliation, but she submitted a police report.
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SIGN UP Some of her constituents say they won't stand for it.
Ed McKeon sent a letter demanding the council as whole condemn threats made against Haxhiaj.
"If they fail to do so, that I would be working, along with other people, to make sure they don't get reelected this November," McKeon told NBC10 Boston.
He and his wife, Susan Swanson, live in the district Haxhiaj represents. They say they're disgusted by the recent threats she's received, including some on social media.
One person, on X, the site known as Twitter before being acquired by Elon Musk, wrote, "I pray that the rapist and murderers that are set free in your community get your children and family."
"How is that happening here in this democracy in the United States, and then more in my neighborhood?" asked Swanson. "I want to cry."
The threats came after Haxhiaj reacted on social media to Homan's remarks Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
"I read a story last night about the police commissioner of Boston. You said you'd double down on not helping law enforcement office of ICE. I'm coming to Boston, I'm bringing hell with me," he said.
Worcester City Councilor-at-Large and Vice Chairman Khrystian King says these threats are concerning.
"When you're someone who stands up, speaks up and tries to represent the people, this is often the result in these times," King said.
Haxhiaj, first elected in 2021, is the first Albanian-born and first Muslim American to become a Worcester city councilor.
She is known to be one of the more progressive members, supporting Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, the first openly nonbinary member elected to the council, who took a hiatus from their position and said the council environment was transphobic.
Debbie Hall is the CEO of YWCA in Central Massachusetts, an organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women. She tells us that these threats can negatively impact someone's day-to-day life.
"It's traumatizing, it's paralyzing," she said. "You can't do the job you were elected to do if you can't show up and feel safe in a place."
The Worcester Police Department says it is investigating these threats.
