Videos showing federal agents breaking car windows to arrest illegal immigrants have now become a virus online, with immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) dispelling rumors about both the agents involved and detainees.
The arrest was made by Boston Ice officials and took place Monday in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Footage taken from inside the car by the detainee’s wife shows two federal agents who are trying to talk to two individuals trapped in the vehicle and claim to be waiting for an attorney. After failing to access the vehicle, the agent uses a large hammer to crush the car window in the rear seat.
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Eventually, the agent arrested a 29-year-old Guatemalan, one of the car’s residents, after which the name Juan Francisco Mendes was arrested.
According to the local outlet New Bedford LightFrancisco Mendes’ attorney, Ondine Gálvez, claims that Massachusetts has no criminal history and is seeking status in asylum.
Francisco Mendes’ wife, identified by the outlet as “Marill,” said the agents “pulled us hard” and “treated us very strict.”
A US Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent is depicted during a multi-agency target enforcement work held in Chicago on January 26th. (Bloomberg via Christopher Dilt/Getty Images)
The video then went viral, causing serious controversy. Some people online have even claimed that the agent who destroyed the window was a member of a far-right militia named Lewis Arthur.
An Ice spokesman told Fox News Digital that Francisco-Mendez “refused to follow the directions of officers and resisted arrests,” and that agents’ actions were in line with training to apply the required minimum amount of force.
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Ice Boston recently arrested Jose Fernando Perez, a U.S. Guatemalan national who faces multiple child rape charges in Massachusetts. (ISTOCK | ICE)
“ICE agrees to actions deemed appropriate by field officers trained to use the minimum required force to ensure business success and resolve the situation in a way that prioritizes the safety of their officers,” the spokesman said.
The representative firmly denied that the agent involved in the arrest was Arthur, rather saying that he was a legitimate federal agent dealing with ICE.
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The spokesman refused to make the officers publicly public, but confirmed to Fox News Digital that he was a federal law enforcement officer who worked with ICE to keep the New England community safe for years.
“The officer arrested in New Bedford, Massachusetts is not Lewis Arthur, the militia leader,” the spokesman said, adding that “rumornings circulating on social media that Ice Boston recruited militia leaders from Arizona and arrested them in New England are not only wrong, they are inflamed and put the safety of federal officials.”
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Ice Agent knocks on the residence door during multi-agency targeting execution work held in Chicago on Jan. 26. (Bloomberg via Christopher Dilt/Getty Images)
“Ice vehemently deny the lies that are spreading on social media,” the spokesman said. “Our ICE personnel face a 300% increase in attacks while carrying out enforcement activities. ”
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Regarding immigrants detained, Ice said Francisco Mendes is illegally in the country, despite reporting that he is a legal asylum seeker.
Francisco Mendes is provided with a notice of appearance before an immigration judge at the Department of Justice.
