Body camera footage shows five Brookline Police officers standing by and managing bystanders while federal immigration agents detained a man in Chestnut Hill on May 14, offering the first documented look at how the town's non-cooperation policy with ICE plays out on the street.

The footage, obtained by Brookline.News through a public records request and published Saturday, Aug. 1, captures roughly 20 minutes of the encounter near Boylston and Eliot streets. Officers are heard drawing a clear line between their duties and the federal operation unfolding in front of them.

"We can't get involved," one officer said on camera. "All we can do is crowd control, that's it."

How the encounter unfolded

The incident began when Brookline Police stopped Edual Rafael Ulloa, a Dominican man living in Framingham, near Coolidge Corner for operating a motorcycle with what police called a fraudulent license plate. Police say Ulloa dropped the motorcycle on an officer's foot, then fled near Thorndike Street before being found hiding behind an air conditioning unit. He was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, and several traffic violations.

After Ulloa was released on court-ordered bail, two ICE agents took him into custody. The agency was likely alerted through a fingerprint system that connects Brookline Police bookings to a federal law enforcement database.

The agents pulled over to wait for a backup vehicle with a cage partition. A small crowd gathered. Brookline officers arrived after a 911 call from the ICE agents.

"We're strictly crowd"

On the body camera audio, officers discussed their limited role over radio. One explained they were "just kind of standing in the background, just helping with officer safety and crowd control because they have like two or three people that are gathering around to film."

When one officer suggested having "Rodriguez" translate for Ulloa, who was speaking in Spanish and English, another shut it down: "We're not getting involved. We're strictly crowd."

Officers kept bystanders back. A female officer blocked a woman who tried to offer Ulloa a water bottle. "Ma'am, no, not right now," she said.

An ICE agent on the footage acknowledged that Brookline Police had refused to share information about Ulloa's release. "No one would give us information," the agent told a Brookline officer, explaining why the agents lacked a proper transport vehicle.

The ICE agent also threatened a bystander who was filming: "This is ICE. This is a federal matter. If you interfere, you're gonna get cuffed, too."

Chief says officers followed policy

Police Chief Jennifer Paster said in a statement after the May 14 incident that officers "responded to monitor the scene, maintain public safety, and ensure the safety of bystanders" and acted in accordance with department policy. The department declined to comment for the Aug. 1 story.

The department's policy prohibits communicating with federal authorities about when arrestees will be released and bars officers from honoring federal immigration detainer requests.

Town Meeting tightened the rules

Since the May 14 encounter, Brookline's Annual Town Meeting approved two warrant articles strengthening the town's stance, according to town records. Warrant Article 17 created a new bylaw prohibiting civil immigration enforcement on town facilities without a judicial warrant. Warrant Article 25 called for discontinuing state and local collaboration with federal immigration enforcement, including studying whether to stop sharing fingerprint data with the FBI.

Chief Paster had opposed Warrant Article 17 before the vote, warning it could place officers in "dangerous legal limbo."

Ulloa remained in ICE custody at a New Hampshire facility as of July 28, according to an agency database. ICE has picked up at least a half dozen people in Brookline after their release from police or court custody since the start of the second Trump administration, according to Brookline.News. The agency has not been seen conducting raids or sweeps in town.