WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester City Manager Eric Batista delivered his annual State of the City Address Wednesday evening, looking to share his vision for the future as protestors shouted from their seats at the Jean McDonough Arts Center.

The protestors, who broke out into chants of ‘ICE off our streets’ on several occasions, echoed similar sentiments shared during multiple demonstrations outside Worcester City Hall in recent weeks following the arrest of Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira on May 8.

At the beginning of his remarks, Batista addressed the ongoing controversy, which he believes has Worcester standing on the brink of division.

“We cannot go back and change what happened, but we can learn from it and come together as a municipality and as a community to determine how we respond moving forward,” Batista said.

He added that on Friday, his office issued an executive order regarding the city’s policy on Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Putting the city’s policy regarding ICE on paper, so there can be no question of how we respond when agents come into our city,” Batista said.

The policy states that municipal employees and officers “shall not inquire about immigration status nor shall immigration status impact the treatment of a resident, victim, suspect, arrestee, 911 caller, or another member of the public with whom a municipal employee has contact.”

As protestors continued to call out from their seats, Batista continued his prepared remarks, which included efforts to combat addiction, homelessness and traffic incidents in the city.

“We envision a Worcester where workers can bike to their offices, students can walk to school, and visitors can easily navigate all the wonderful things our city has to offer without having to worry about the harm inflicted by a speeding car,” Batista said.

He concluded the address with a plea for the community to come together at this time of tension.

“Instead of giving to the anger and division, think about the friends, family and neighbors that make up your community,” Batista said. “Commit to standing up and standing together with them to achieve the vision we set for ourselves. Because if we do, I know we will not break.”

The State of the City Address was organized with the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, and also featured remarks from its Executive Director and CEO Paul Matthews, Rev. Hugo Cano, Worcester Poet Laureate Oliver de la Paz and Mayor Joseph Petty.