WORCESTER, Mass. - As protestors gathered outside City Hall on Tuesday over the recent arrest of Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira by federal authorities, the Worcester City Council met remotely due to alleged threats made towards city employees in recent days.

Protest organizers with Indivisible Worcester allege city officers manhandled two other women who were arrested at the scene, and many criticized Mayor Joe Petty’s decision to hold Tuesday’s meeting remotely.

Mayor Petty addressed the situation after nearly two hours of public comment in which many of the speakers called in from the protest outside City Hall.

“What ICE did to our community was devastating,” Petty said. “Now people are scared, and they made people even more scared, people who just want to live here and wish to be safe. And they show up masked and divide this community.”

The Department of Homeland Security has said Ferreira de Oliveira had previously been arrested in February for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant victim.

City Council Vice Chair Khrystian King and City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj have been critical of ICE and the Worcester Police Department’s handling of the situation, and a union representing local officers has accused Haxhiaj of inciting the crowd on Eureka Street to grow more aggressive towards law enforcement.

Addressing concerns about Worcester officers’ role in the situation, Petty said the police were called by multiple parties, and not called to assist ICE.

“The police are not allowed to assist ICE when it comes to apprehending and detaining people for immigration enforcement reasons, but assisting ICE and crowd control are two different things,” Petty said. “What I understand is that the police were called to the scene because there was a big crowd, and things went from there.

During Tuesday night’s remote meeting, Vice Chair King demanded more information on the situation, and pushed for the City Council to take action.

“A report outlining not simply what happened, but the scope, scale and measure of the city’s response as it relates to its current operational procedures,” King said. “The release of all body camera footage related to this matter, and a social worker clinical response to any matter pertaining to ICE operations.”

During the protest, one of the women who was arrested, Ashley Spring, addressed the crowd and criticized the decision to make Tuesday night’s city council meeting remote. Spring was charged with assault and battery on a police officer and several other charges.

“It is such a cowardly move to close the doors of a building we pay for to prevent us from being heard and being seen,” Spring said. “If they believe they can evade public accountability, they will take that opportunity.”

With multiple instances of ICE operations throughout Massachusetts, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley released a statement on Wednesday regarding attempts to obstruct at the scene.

“The interference with ICE operations around Massachusetts has been disturbing, to say the least,” Foley said. “This conduct poses significant public and officer safety risks. It is conduct that should be vilified rather than glorified. I will not stand idly by if any public official, public safety officer, organization or private citizen acts in a manner that criminally obstructs or impedes ICE operations. The United States Attorney’s Office, along with our federal partners, will investigate any violations of federal law and pursue charges that are warranted by such activity.”