During the morning of Tuesday, April 15, around 11.57, an immigrant Guatemalan was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE, for its acronym in English) in the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, after migratory agents broke the glass to their car.
After the capture, the family of the national claims for his freedom, considering that it was “Violently arrested” by ICE officials and the Federal Research Office (FBIfor its acronym in English) in the state of the bay, while he was waiting for his lawyer to face the situation with the officers.
According to the recording released on social networks, ICE officers hit six times with a hammer the car of Juan Francisco Méndez, who currently has a pending asylum case in the US. And he was traveling with his wife in the county of Bristol board when he ended up detained by the immigration authorities.
As stated by the detainee’s wife, “the agents were not looking for him,” but they still decided dentist When they stopped us and there we ask them to wait a moment, “he added.
Guatemalan video shock arrested by ICE
“When they stopped us, we covered ourselves in our right to remain in silenceand my husband asked the agents to please expect the arrival of the immigration lawyer, but they did not agree, “said Juan Francisco Méndez’s wife, who was in charge of recording the time of her husband’s capture.
In the video that went viral on the digital platforms, ICE officers can be observed by hitting the vehicle with a hammer, and then remove the Guatemalan migrant from the car and handcuff in front of his spouse: “I don’t know why they acted like that. He was not the person they were looking for and had no court order“The woman said.
Read more: Gerber Mazariegos, the Guatemalan worker with Visa U proceeding that was arrested by ICE
The Connational Family indicated that Méndez currently has a pending asylum case in the country, and according to the United States citizenship and immigration service (USCISfor its acronym in English), that means that the application has already been submitted, but it has not yet been approved neither denied by immigration authorities.
While waiting for the resolution of his asylum application, Juan Francisco allegedly requested the Employment authorization By presenting a form before the USCIS, with the aim of preparing for any hearing related to his case, since his lawyer recommended participating in training.
“We started telling ICE agents that we had the right not Listen to us“Juan Francisco Méndez’s wife said during an interview.
“I asked the officers if they had an arrest warrant, but they did not answer me. I asked them the same question four times, but I never got an answer or proof that corroborates my husband’s capture,” added the woman, who also indicated that her husband arrived in the United States in January 2023, from Guatemala.