Family says ICE agents smashed car window in seizing Guatemalan man who's seeking asylum

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts household is demanding answers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, complaining its agents smashed a car model with a hammer and detained a antheral who they assertion had applied for asylum.

A lawyer for the household besides claims agents were not looking for Juan Francisco Mendez erstwhile they grabbed him Monday successful New Bedford, Massachusetts, arsenic helium drove to a dentist appointment. The lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, told The Associated Press during an interrogation that the agents claimed they were looking for different antheral with a antithetic sanction earlier they dragged him and his woman retired of the car.

The incident, recorded connected video by Mendez's woman Marilu Domingo Ortiz, shows ICE agents utilizing a hammer to smash the car model and past drawback Ortiz. The household believes Mendez is being held astatine a installation successful Dover, New Hampshire.

“When I arrived connected the scene, my client's woman was sobbing. She was crying. She was shaking,” Galvez-Sniffin said, adding that Mendez yelled “Help Me” successful Spanish arsenic helium was driven distant successful handcuffs.

“I walked implicit to the car and I spot the busted window, the solid each implicit the backmost seat, and I was shocked,” the lawyer added. “I’ve been doing migration enactment for 27 years and this was the archetypal clip that I saw specified convulsive drastic measures being taken.”

A spokesperson for ICE did not instrumentality repeated messages seeking comment.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, successful a station connected X, said the incidental “raises questions that necessitate wide answers," including wherefore section constabulary weren't alerted beforehand. He besides questioned whether ICE agents are targeting criminals arsenic the Trump medication promised oregon are “engaging successful an indiscriminate round-up of individuals with uncertain migration status.”

Ortiz and her 9-year-old lad person already been fixed extortion nether an asylum presumption implicit fears of facing persecution if they returned location to Guatemala.

Galvez-Sniffin said Mendez had been successful the state for 4 years and worked successful the seafood manufacture successful New Bedford. He had nary transgression record, she said, and was successful the process of applying for asylum. He had been fingerprinted successful December, she said, adding thing turned up successful presumption of a transgression record.

“There truly was nary crushed to dainty him the mode that helium and his woman were treated.” Galvez-Sniffin said, adding that agents refused to look astatine the paperwork showing helium had applied for asylum.

“My biggest concern, his family's biggest interest is getting him back,” she said. “He has nary transgression inheritance and everything to enactment for successful this country.”

The incidental comes arsenic the politician and instrumentality enforcement officials successful New England person raised concerns astir the tactics ICE is utilizing to detain people.

Last month, ICE cause Brian Sullivan took Wilson Martell-Lebron, 49, into custody arsenic helium was leaving court. Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville recovered Sullivan successful contempt, arguing that helium deprived Martell-Lebron of his rights to owed process and just trial.

That lawsuit has since been dropped but the detention extracurricular tribunal portion Martell-Lebron was connected proceedings prompted Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden to telephone the actions of ICE “troubling and extraordinarily reckless.”

Tufts University pupil Rumeysa Ozturk of Turkey, 30, besides is challenging her detention by ICE. A video relationship shows her walking connected a thoroughfare successful a Boston suburb arsenic she is surrounded by migration officials. Ozturk is heard screaming arsenic they instrumentality her cellphone and is seen getting handcuffed. Her lawyers person called for her contiguous release.