A Guatemalan family—in the United States under legal asylum status—is seeking answers from the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a violent interaction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Monday, ICE agents pulled over a Toyota driven by Juan Francisco Méndez, 29, as he and his wife, Marilu Domingo Ortiz, traveled to a dental appointment in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The couple called their lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, who advised they stay in their vehicle with the windows closed until she could get to them.
Mrs. Ortiz told agents they were waiting for their lawyer to arrive.
But an ICE agent threatened them instead of waiting peacefully, saying in Spanish:
"We can do it the easy or hard way."
Then an ICE agent used what appeared to be a firefighters' Halligan tool—a cross between a crow bar and hammer used for gaining entry—to smash a rear window to enter the car without a warrant.
You can watch video taken by Mrs. Ortiz here:
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After the video stopped, the couple was pulled from the vehicle. Mrs. Ortiz was left on scene, but her husband was abducted by ICE without a warrant or criminal charges.
Neither Mr. Méndez or Mrs. Ortiz have a criminal record. ICE was reportedly looking for a different man when they cornered the couple, but decided to take Mr. Méndez instead.
According to Boston.com, the couple's lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, stated:
"The agents reached in, opened the front door, dragged both him and his wife out of the car, arrested him, and put him in their vehicle."
"I have never heard of this level of brutality."
Mrs. Ortiz and the couple's 9-year-old son were granted asylum in 2024. Mr. Méndez began his own asylum process in October of 2024, but as the husband of an asylee, he already had protected status.
Galvez-Sniffin added:
"The anger, the violence that the agents exerted and my clients, their quiet humility, their respectfulness, and in the face of a very scary situation, they did not lose control."
"They were asserting their rights, and they were completely disregarded. They were very, very respectful and very humble, and it was for naught because the agents didn’t care."
In an interview with the Associated Press, Galvez-Sniffin said:
"When I arrived on the scene, my client’s wife was sobbing. She was crying. She was shaking."
The couple's lawyer arrived in time to see and hear as Mr. Méndez was driven away in handcuffs as he yelled, "Help me!" in Spanish.
“I walked over to the car and I see the busted window, the glass all over the back seat, and I was shocked. I’ve been doing immigration work for 27 years and this was the first time that I saw such violent drastic measures being taken."
Of her family's ordeal, Mrs. Ortiz said through a translator:
"We came here to do honest work. To fight for our family. What they did, or what they’re doing right now, no, it’s not fair. We don’t deserve that treatment."
Ortiz added her son, who was at school when the assault happened, is taking his father's abduction hard.
"He has already stopped eating because of what we’re going through. I just hope that they release my husband so he can come back with us and that my son can be with him as well."
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell is also looking for answers from ICE.
People are pointing to the latest ICE overreach as an indication of escalation.
Galvez‐Sniffin believes Mr. Méndez is being held at Strafford County Corrections in Dover, New Hampshire. Because of his asylum status, he should have a court hearing next month, but it’s not noted in the court system yet.
A federal judge in New Hampshire ruled Wednesday that DHS and ICE must give Mr. Méndez's attorneys 72 hours notice before transferring him anywhere. But with the Trump administration's disregard for the United States Constitution, immigration laws, and court orders, it's unclear what will happen to Mr. Méndez.
Galvez-Sniffin stated:
"There really was no reason to treat him the way that he and his wife were treated.”
After her arrival on the scene, ICE agents refused to look at the paperwork showing Mr. Méndez was in the process of being granted asylum like his wife of 10 years and their son.
The couple's lawyer added:
"My biggest concern, his family’s biggest concern is getting him back. He has no criminal background and everything to stay for in this country."
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