17-05-2025
‘When I would go to sleep, I would dream that I was free and with my family.' New Bedford immigrant opens up about his month-long detention
At the jail, he remembers hearing people crying often. Méndez estimates there was about 40 detained immigrants, all men, ranging from teenagers to older adults, from Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and other countries.
Advertisement
On Friday, he was still getting used to being back home when he met with reporters, accompanied by his wife and lawyer, to discuss his 30 days in detainment.
'When I went to sleep, I would dream that I was free and with my family,' Méndez remembered, speaking in Spanish. 'But then I would wake up and still be locked up.'
Juan Francisco Mendez, a Guatemalan immigrant, discussed his return home to New Bedford. He was forcibly removed from his car by ICE agents, who smashed the windows as he was leaving with his wife for a dentist appointment.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Originally from Guatemala, Méndez, 29, was detained last month after immigration officials broke his car window with an ax and dragged him out, in a striking ordeal that was captured on video by his wife.
The video captured the shockingly violent actions of federal immigration agents and was shared widely.
(Méndez said he also took a video but his phone was confiscated and has not been returned by ICE).
Advertisement
The couple was on their way to the dentist when agents in unmarked vehicles pulled them over, seeking a so-called '
ICE officials maintain that Méndez was present without a legal status and the agency's right to so-called 'collateral arrests' which includes detaining individuals other than the people they are seeking.
Méndez was finally released Thursday after Judge Yul-mi Cho of the Chelmsford Immigration Court ordered his release on bond, and community members chipped in to pay the $1500.
Still, he remains electronically surveilled with an ankle monitor on his left leg.
'He is still detained in a way,' said Ondine Gálvez Sniffin, the attorney who represents the couple, and will be pushing to get the monitor removed.
In February 2024, Ortiz was granted asylum, and through his wife Méndez
is eligible to adjust his legal status
under federal immigration law, said Sniffin.
Méndez had already provided his fingerprints to US Citizenship and Immigration Services in December and has no criminal record, she added.
'I'm not a delinquent,' Méndez said.
'The only thing I was looking to do was to bring a plate of food to my family's table,' he said, recalling the poverty of his childhood in Guatemala, where his single mother struggled to provide.
The local corruption and lack of economic opportunities are what pushed the family eventually to migrate to the US.
Both Méndez and Ortiz worked in the local seafood industry here in New Bedford, where immigrants from many lands have come to live and work on its historic waterfront.
In its earliest years, New Bedford drew Portuguese and Cape Verdean immigrants to work in its storied whaling industry. Newer arrivals have turned to the docks, finding work in fish processing plants or on boats harvesting scallops and groundfish.
Advertisement
The Méndez's experience of the last month has had a chilling effect on the immigrant community, and led the family to rethink their choice to migrate.
Since the violent arrest, Ortiz struggles with sleep too, often staying up late into the night, anxious, or waking up from nightmares.
Most recently, she was out in New Bedford paying her light bill when she heard police sirens.
'I looked behind me,' she said, and thought to herself 'Where do I run, where do I hide?'
It took her a moment to steady her breath and racing heartbeat before she realized the sirens weren't for her.
Marilu Domingo Ortiz, wife of Juan Francisco Mendez, became emotional during a press conference in New Bedford on Friday. Ortiz was with her husband when ICE agents pulled over their car, broke the windows and forcibly removed Mendez, He was released Thursday after 30 days in detention at Strafford County jail in New Hampshire.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Now the family is seeking ways to heal.
In jail, Méndez said he often turned to the Bible and found help in prayer, and the visits of a local clergyman.
Phone calls with his 9-year old son helped, but it 'wasn't the same as seeing him in person,' Méndez said, remembering how a knot would form in his throat, as he heard his son cry.
Back home, the family stays close. Méndez keeps a close eye on Ortiz and his son — and they keep a close eye on him.
But outside their home, he still vividly remembers the horror: officers surrounding their parked car, the sound of breaking glass.
For a moment, 'I thought I was going to be killed,' Méndez said.
Despite the lingering fear, it's pushed him to keep speaking up.
Advertisement
'Don't stay quiet,' he said.
'If we don't talk, I don't know how far this will go... and for all the families going through this, don't lose hope, keep the strength going.'
Esmy Jimenez can be reached at
