BOSTON -- ICE agents conducting sweeps through Massachusetts are coming under increasing attack by opponents trying to harass and block them from detaining suspects, creating a potentially dangerous standoff.

Democratic officials are also advising illegal immigrants on what to do when confronted with ICE agents, issuing “guidance” to them and bystanders on how to act.

“I strongly encourage everyone to inform themselves of their rights when they see immigration officers in their communities,” Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell wrote in a seven-page memo.

“Bystanders can watch and record interactions ‘from a reasonable distance’ but are not allowed to obstruct, impede or assault an ICE officer,” Campbell added.

U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan has a “know your rights” page on her website which includes “certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution,” regardless of immigration status.

“You have the right to remain silent. You may refuse to speak to law enforcement officers, including immigration officers…If you are worried ICE will arrest you, let the officer know if you have children. If you are the parent or primary caregiver…ICE may ‘exercise discretion’ and let you go,” Trahan’s office advises.

But some liberals are taking it much further, shouting and screaming at agents in a harassing manner as they record them and post the videos on social media.

Gov. Maura Healey, a main ICE opponent, needs to step in to keep agents from being harassed but that’s unlikely. Immigrant rights groups have a right to give people advice but not to interfere with agents.

“If you are asked to step back, take a step back while repeating, ‘I am exercising my right to record and document,” a bulletin from the MIRA Coalition states. “If the officers get too close, say ‘I am stepping back and have the right to record.’ Speak in a calm audible voice….Record all the way through the incident. Narrate what you’re seeing.”

The Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts has a hotline for people to call when they think they see ICE agents in their neighborhood. They advise people to call the hotline “if you see people dressed like civilians parked for prolonged hours in a residential area, with tinted windows, making traffic stops in a neighborhood.”

Another organization, REACH, is advising that “you don’t have to open your door just because someone claims they are from ICE.”

“ICE agents are only allowed to enter your residence if they have a judicial warrant that’s been issued by a judge, and which includes your name and address along with the judge’s signature,” the REACH TEAM states. “If ICE agents attempt to detain or arrest someone in your presence, you’re allowed to take pictures, record video, and write down notes as long as you make it known you’re doing so.”

Even the Boston Public Library is getting in on the act, posting a legal services directory, numbers of various hotlines and advising immigrants to “know your rights.”

ICE opponents have also been complaining about ICE wearing masks, despite the fact that agents have been subjected to “doxing” when taking off their masks, putting their families at risk. Agents are not “secret police” as Mayor Michelle Wu has suggested and they are not hiding – they are simply trying to protect themselves.

Opponents have also claimed that they are “abducting” or “disappearing” people off the streets, when in fact what agents are doing is lawfully arresting or detaining them.

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