Lawrence, Massachusetts, Mayor Brian De Pena, a native of the Dominican Republic, asked for a Spanish interpreter during a Friday hearing related to a state police oversight case, according to The Daily Wire.
The episode rocked social media and renewed questions about how a big city mayor operates in government and law when he says he needs help translating, The Wire reports. reported. The translator's statement also landed as De Pena is already feuding with Massachusetts' top elections office after the state flooded polling places in Lawrence with observers and police. according to for NBC Boston. (RELATED: Bus Driver Fired Over Sign Asking Students to Speak English)
“I've received a lot of complaints today and I see that a lot of people are, you know, unhappy with the government stepping in when people need support,” De Pena said during the Nov. 4 city election, according to NBC Boston.
🚨HOLY SMOKES. The mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts CAN'T speak English, so he asked for an interpreter in court.
Anyone applying for public office in America MUST be fluent in English.
This shouldn't be controversial. At all.
— Eric Dougherty (@EricLDaugh) December 21, 2025
The request for an interpreter arose during a Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission hearing, listed as the William Castro Hearing, that lasted several days. planned in December. The Daily Wire reported that De Pena asked to use his personal assistant as a translator, but the presiding judge rejected the request.
Castro, the former acting Lawrence police chief, is under scrutiny for vehicle pursuits and what investigators and government officials have called dishonesty in reporting. according to to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB. The city investigator said an adviser in De Pena's office ordered the investigation to be closed after investigators completed their work and began writing their final report.
De Pena campaign website The “About Me” section reads like it was put through a rough translation app, with sentences like: “Brian DePena was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. However, it was in Misha that Brian grew up with his parents and siblings,” followed by, “This is where Brian's interest in entrepreneurship was sparked.”
The mayor also took on Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, whose office sent observers and Massachusetts State Police to all Lawrence polling places and said he observed campaign tactics that “likely rose to the level of criminal activity,” NBC Boston reported.
