The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA) gathered last Thursday Feb.5 for what – based on its light agenda – should have been an uneventful monthly meeting.

However, before it had even begun, there were murmurs among the 20 or so in attendance regarding the taking – that morning in nearby Roslindale Square – of an individual by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). According to reports, the detaining agents pulled the man from his car and then took him away, leaving his car running in the street.

Pulled up on the phone of one HPNA member was an official statement issued by District 5 City Councilor and Roslindale resident Enrique Pepén, who had been running an errand in Roslindale Square unaware of what had just happened until he was alerted by business owners and then visited the scene in its aftermath. In his statement, he described the incident as an abduction.

The meeting called to order, ICE immediately became its dominant topic. The discussion – kicked off from the gavel by HPNA President Mimi Turchinetz – was fueled by outrage at what had happened, the growing fear of ICE coming to Hyde Park, and a dearth of verifiable information filled in with speculation and vituperation largely informed by political disposition.

Staff for Councilor Pepén and Mayor Michelle Wu were present, and they spoke on the topic.

Dianna Bronchuk – Pepén’s chief of staff – provided more details regarding what had happened, noting that the family of the detained individual had been located through license plate photos – taken by bystanders – of the car from which he had been pulled. She added that the hotline staffed by volunteers of the LUCE (Liberation Union Community Esperanza or Hope) Immigrant Justice Network had also been called at the time of the incident, and she recommended that its number be added to telephone contact lists.

This kept with a running theme of the discussion: that of plans for more organized neighborhood involvement along the lines of the bystander observer system coordinated by LUCE.

Beyond that, Bronchuk offered some speculation of her own. “I don’t want to say that this was a targeted thing, but the mayor did have her press conference earlier today saying that she had signed the executive order saying that ICE is not allowed… to do anything on public or City land. And obviously Roslindale is where she lives, so it definitely hit very close to home.”

Mayor Wu’s press conference had taken place that afternoon to announce her Executive Order To Protect Bostonians From Unconstitutional and Violent Federal Operations. Zoë Petty – Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS) Hyde Park Liaison – highlighted some of it during her update. She also referred to the lack of interaction in 2025 between the ICE and the Boston Police Department (BPD) regarding the federal agency’s immigrant detainer requests, noting that “there were about 57 inquiries for the Boston Police Department, and we didn’t respond to any.”

Later Thursday night, Boston 25 News received a statement from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin responding to what Pepén had written earlier that day. In it, she confirmed that Jose Perez-Antonio – an undocumented immigrant – had been arrested. She added that he had criminal charges against him, including those for cocaine and fentanyl trafficking, as well as for identity theft.

On Friday, The Bulletin reached out to the ICE Office of Public Affairs for an official statement. As of going to press, no response had yet been received, nor had any news release been posted.

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On Friday, The Bulletin also reached out to the BPD’s Office of Media Relations for an official statement regarding the incident. It further inquired as to whether the individual detained had any outstanding warrants against him. As of going to press, no response had yet been received.

In the meeting’s only scheduled appointment, Transit Planner Tyler Lew of the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) provided a traffic and parking update, and he also fielded questions and complaints. His appearance was the result of the HPNA’s invitation to Interim Chief of Streets Nick Gove to speak about a comprehensive traffic/transportation study for Hyde Park. The results were predictable – with varying questions and concerns raised (peppered with isolated traffic and parking complaints) and as many non-commital, non-binding answers.

The closest thing to a comprehensive study currently scheduled for the neighborhood is the Southwest Boston Transit Action Plan, which will include Hyde Park, Roslindale and West Roxbury and will consist of the BTD’s recommendations – based, thus far, primarily on internal studies – “to help alleviate an increased number of people and cars,” as Lew described it.

“We’re looking at a draft around roughly the same time as the Squares+Streets (S+S) draft becomes public,” he said in response to a question about the timetable for those recommendations.

This did not sit well with the room.

City Hall had slated a traffic/transportation study for Hyde Park prior to the pandemic, but it was never done. When planning for S+S – with its zoning districts designed to increase residential density – got underway for Cleary Square in early 2024, it was brought forward again, and the repeated request was made for a study to be done before that goes into effect.

At the end of the appointment, Turchinetz reminded Lew that the HPNA had invited Gove to appear, and she continued in a joking tone belying her serious request. “So you could reiterate to him, ‘Boy, that Hyde Park group! They are really a tough crowd! You need to go in and SEE them because they have lots and lots of questions, and they don’t feel like they’re being heard.’”

The HPNA meets on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Hyde Park Municipal Building/BCYF (1179 River St.). For information, email hydeparkneighbors@gmail.com.