Additional Coverage:
- Mass. woman speaks out after video shows ICE agents smashing car window to get husband (nbcnews.com)
New Bedford, MA – A local couple’s encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sparked outrage and raised questions about the agency’s tactics. Marilu Mendez captured the incident on video, showing an ICE agent smashing the back window of her car with a hammer.
According to Mendez, ICE agents surrounded their vehicle on Tallman Street, pursuing her and her husband, Juan. The agents repeatedly called Juan by the wrong name, “Antonio,” apparently mistaking him for someone else in their building. On the advice of their lawyer, the couple remained in their car, asserting their right to remain silent until legal representation arrived.
However, the situation escalated quickly. Mendez recounted the ordeal to Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, stating, “They looked for a hammer and they broke the car window and dragged us out of the car…
Three ICE agents held my husband. They took us out unjustly.”
She claims they were given no explanation for the detainment and were not shown any warrant.
Attorney Ondine Galvez Sniffin confirmed that Juan Mendez, a Guatemalan immigrant, is undocumented but currently working to adjust his immigration status and has no criminal record. Marilu Mendez is in the country on asylum.
Sniffin condemned ICE’s actions, stating, “My clients were within their rights… and they were met with brutality… They were met with violence.”
Juan Mendez is currently being held at a detention facility in Dover, New Hampshire, with a hearing scheduled for May 7. ICE has not yet responded to requests for comment.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell addressed the incident, expressing concern over ICE’s apparent shift in protocol. He noted that ICE seems to have stopped notifying local police of planned operations, creating potential safety risks for all involved.
Mitchell also emphasized the lack of clarity regarding ICE’s current focus, questioning whether the agency is targeting convicted criminals or conducting indiscriminate roundups. He called for the Trump administration to provide an explanation to the public.