Video shows ICE agent smash window to detain man in Massachusetts

2 days ago 7

Wife of antheral detained by migration agents successful New Bedford says they person the incorrect idiosyncratic

Wife of antheral detained by migration agents successful New Bedford says they person the incorrect person 02:50

Video shows the infinitesimal ICE agents smashed a car model and forcibly removed a antheral successful New Bedford, Massachusetts connected Monday. His lawyer says helium is not the antheral the agents were looking for.

Juan Francisco Mendez, 29, has nary transgression grounds and was awaiting his last documentation to solidify his asylum status.

His lawyer told WBZ that national agents took the incorrect person, mistaking her lawsuit for idiosyncratic else.

Case of mistaken identity?

"They said they were looking for a definite individual, by a antithetic name," said migration lawyer Ondine Galvez Sniffin. "I said that's not my client... I cognize my client's history, that is not him."

Mendez's wife, Marilu Domingo Ortiz, and 9-year-old lad are protected nether an asylum presumption aft persecution successful their location state of Guatemala.

Domingo Ortiz said it was terrifying to spot ICE agents smash her husband's model and forcibly drawback him successful beforehand of her. "In that infinitesimal she was precise shocked, she didn't cognize what to do, what to think. She was conscionable there, conscionable terrified," said Domingo Ortiz, done a translator.

When agents approached Mendez successful his car, they were asking for a antheral by the sanction of Antonio, idiosyncratic who utilized to unrecorded successful his building, according to his attorney. Mendez told them that it wasn't him.

ICE cause smashes model with axe

The agents demanded Mendez get retired of the car. He said helium was waiting connected his lawyer, and that's erstwhile video shows an cause smashed his car window.

Community activistic Adrian Ventura said helium saw it each unfold. "They acted precise violently," helium said done an interpreter. "I was determination erstwhile that feline was carrying an axe, oregon a hammer and started to interruption the windows and it was similar determination was an explosion."

By the clip Mendez's lawyer arrived connected scene, helium was already nether arrest.

Sniffin says it's a unspeakable misstep by the agents who carried retired the actions, and present it's leaving the Mendez household with hard questions near unanswered.

"I don't person immoderate answers"

"She asked maine erstwhile volition helium beryllium coming home? and I don't person immoderate answers for her," Sniffin said.

Sniffin said she has been capable to find Mendez, who is being held astatine a installation successful Dover, New Hampshire. She hasn't been capable to person immoderate accusation connected charges oregon a crushed for wherefore he's inactive successful the detention center.

"Right now, she desperately wants him home... she's trying her champion to beryllium beardown for her lad due to the fact that her lad keeps asking wherever his dada is, and she's trying to beryllium beardown for their son, but she needs him," said Domingo Ortiz done the translator.

WBZ has reached retired to ICE for much information, but they person not responded with immoderate details astir Mendez's apprehension oregon his detention.

Maryland pistillate detained successful akin fashion

Last week, video captured a similar confrontation successful Maryland, erstwhile an ICE cause smashed done a car model to detain a woman. 51-year-old Elsy Noemi Berrios into custody successful Westminster, Maryland extracurricular of Baltimore.

When Berrios refused to permission her car, agents broke her car model to unlock the conveyance earlier taking her into custody. The video was captured by Berrios' daughter.