An anti-ICE protester in Upton, Massachusetts, was cited for unsafe vehicle operation after her SUV rolled into Pratt Pond and sank while she confronted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

The incident occurred on September 8 in the small Worcester County town, about 40 miles west of Boston, during an ICE operation dubbed Patriot 2.0, part of the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts in Massachusetts.

According to Upton police, the unidentified woman pulled her SUV over upon spotting two ICE vehicles detaining a suspect, believed to be an illegal alien. In her haste to confront the ICE agents, she exited the vehicle without putting it in park, causing it to roll down an embankment into the pond near Lakeview Cemetery.

Video footage, viewed over 2.9 million times on X, captured the SUV drifting further into the water as a voice off-camera remarked, “Well, that sucks. Look at that, Lucy. Her car got lost.”

An ICE agent can be seen in the foreground escorting a person in handcuffs. Photos showed the woman standing by the pond’s edge, on her phone, as her vehicle became mostly submerged. The Upton Fire Department later towed the SUV from the pond, though the extent of the damage remains unclear.

Police issued the driver a citation for unsafe operation, but have not released her identity. 

The incident follows weeks of protests against ICE’s presence in the area, during which demonstrators have voiced opposition to the agency’s operations. Operation Patriot 2.0, launched in early September, follows a similar spring initiative that resulted in over 1,400 arrests.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo on September 29 on “Ending Political Violence Against ICE.” Federal officers with the agency have seen a 1,000% increase in attacks since January 21, 2025.