17-04-2025
N.H. judge tells feds to provide 72 hours notice before moving man arrested in New Bedford by ICE
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As his wife recorded the incident on a cell phone, Méndez, a native of Guatemala, was taken from their vehicle after federal agents used an axe to smash a window, even though the couple said they'd exit the vehicle once their lawyer arrived,
Ondine Gálvez Sniffin, a lawyer for Méndez, said Thursday via email that the couple indicated the agents said 'they were looking for Antonio,' who the agents claimed lived in the same building the
pair
had just exited before getting in their vehicle.
'In fact, my clients recall seeing a strange vehicle when they left their house but thought nothing more about it,' the lawyer said. 'Therefore, clearly they were watching the house where my clients lived.'
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Méndez has no criminal record, his lawyers said.
'I can confirm that this is not Antonio and he has no prior record,' said Ryan Sullivan, another attorney for Méndez, via email Thursday.
Marilu Domingo Ortiz, whose husband was taken into custody by ICE agents after they smashed a window of their family car, looks at broken glass and damage to their vehicle at their home, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in New Bedford.
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
He said Méndez at the time of his arrest was seeking a form of asylum known as an I-730 application available to people whose relatives have asylum.
His wife currently has asylum, Sullivan said, but authorities are alleging that Méndez entered the US 'without inspection.'
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson described Méndez as 'an illegally present' citizen of Guatemala.
'During the course of his arrest, he refused to comply with officers' instructions and resisted apprehension,' the spokesperson said. 'ICE concurs with the actions deemed appropriate by the officers on the scene who are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that ensures the success of the operation and prioritizes the safety of our officers.'
Agency officials said Méndez entered the US illegally on an unknown date at an unknown location without being processed, and that agents at the time of his arrest served him with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.
Gálvez Sniffin said she has filed an I-730 petition on Méndez's behalf.
'His wife was granted asylee status by an [immigration judge] in February 2024,' Gálvez Sniffin said. 'We filed Juan's paperwork November 2024. He was fingerprinted by [US Citizen and Immigration Services] in December 2024. His I-730 is pending. By law, he is entitled to derivative asylee status. The I-730 process will formalize that status for him.'
The couple has a 9-year-old child, and Méndez's wife, Marilú, told the New Bedford Light through tears at the arrest scene Monday that the agents 'pulled us out [of the car] violently. They treated us very harshly.'
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Méndez is among the scores of foreign nationals being picked up by federal immigration agents in public as part of
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor, addressed the arrest of Méndez during a briefing Wednesday, according to
'The problem we have ... is that we just don't get good information out of ICE,' Mitchell said. 'Information that I think the residents of our city are entitled to.'
Mitchell said 'we hear the Trump administration say that they're prioritizing convicted criminals.' The mayor said that while he wants criminals removed from his city, 'it should matter to everybody if these people are not criminals and they're being detained because their identity's mistaken, [or while] they are still adjudicating their immigration status.'
He said the way the arrest played out was troubling, noting the couple told the agents they were waiting for their attorney who was half an hour away.
'So why the escalation?' Mitchell said. 'My job is to make sure that our residents are secure, and so consistent with that, I need to know what's going on.'
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He said 'there was sort of a misleading heads up given to the Police Department' about the planned arrest. 'The wrong street was given. ... If the administration is interested in legitimizing what it's doing, it should communicate, and it hasn't been doing that.'
Material from prior Globe stories was used. This story will be updated when more information is released.
Travis Andersen can be reached at
