Ruthless ICE agents have been caught on camera smashing through a man's car window while he was cowering inside with his wife.
Video shows the moment federal immigration officials shattered the vehicle window in New Bedford, Massachusetts, while detaining Guatemalan native Juan Francisco Mendez, 29, on Monday.
The man's lawyer, Ondine Galvez Sniffin, said both Francisco Mendez and his wife are lawfully in the US after his wife was granted asylum while fleeing persecution in her home country. Francisco Mendez has the same protection as her legal partner.
Sniffin said she received a call from the couple during the ordeal, and they told her the ICE agents were looking for someone called 'Antonio'.
'I said, "Tell them you have your attorney. Tell them I'm on my way,"' Sniffin told 12 News.
Video shows how ICE agents surrounded the terrified couple's car as they apparently waited for Sniffin to arrive.
One of the agents can be heard telling them he could handle things 'the easy way or the hard way', while gesturing for them to roll down the windows.
After waiting a few moments, another agent then grabbed what appeared to be a large pick-axe, and used it to smash through the backseat window.
ICE agents have been caught on camera smashing through a man's car window while he was cowering inside with his wife - despite his attorney saying they had the wrong person
Video shows the moment federal immigration officials shattered the vehicle window in New Bedford, Massachusetts , while detaining Guatemalan native Juan Francisco Mendez (shown above), 29, on Monday
Sniffin said she thought the misunderstanding could be easily resolved, as her clients told her the officials were looking for an 'Antonio' - which is not his name.
'I said, "Well, that's great, because your name is not Antonio, so you should be fine. Show them the paperwork that you have and you should be fine,"' she told 12 News.
'But the agents didn't pay attention to that.'
Sniffin outlined how Francisco Mendez and his wife were made lawful residents in the US.
'She came to the US with the belief that she would be safe here, that she would not have to endure the impunity of state actors the way she endured in her own country - and this is what she's facing,' the attorney said.
Sniffin added that Francisco Mendez 'has the same benefits that she does because they are legally married', and neither has a criminal record.
Francisco Mendez is now being held in New Hampshire, with a court hearing pending.
Sniffin said attorneys are gathering evidence and letters of support to prepare for his bond request.
'They're trying to live the American dream. They're doing everything right,' Sniffin told 12 News.
'What they were doing, sitting in their car, in a parked car, respectfully speaking with these agents. That's what every American should do: respect law enforcement.
'In response, what they got was violence, brutality, impunity.'
Their immigration lawyer, Ondine Galvez Sniffin (pictured above), said Francisco Mendez and his wife are lawfully in the US after his wife was granted asylum while fleeing persecution in her home country. Francisco Mendez has the same protection as her legal partner
The couple have a child in school, and their lawyer said explaining to the boy why his father is in custody has been an upsetting ordeal for his wife.
'As she was here in my office, as we're strategizing to request bond, her son calls her on the cellphone, "Mommy, when are you going to be home? Please don't forget to bring daddy when you come home,"' Sniffin told News 12.
The New Bedford Police Department sent officers to the scene but said they could not intervene because it was a federal issue.
'Neither the City nor the New Bedford Police Department were briefed or given notice from ICE regarding enforcement activity in New Bedford,' city spokesperson Jonathan Darling told 12 News.
DailyMail.com has contacted ICE for comment on the case.
Donald Trump has ordered DHS Sec. Kristi Noem to increase the speed of deportations
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell demanded answers from the government.
'The incident raises questions that require clearer answers,' he wrote on X.
'Recently ICE appears to have broken from its long standing practice of alerting our police department ahead of planned operations, a decision that poses safety risks to officers, ICE agents, and the public alike.
'It may also preclude opportunities for local police to help deescalate tense situations like this last one.
'Nor has there been an indication from ICE whether agents are focusing on apprehension of convicted criminals – as the Trump administration has insisted – or is instead in an indiscriminate round up of individuals with uncertain immigrant status.
'The public deserves an explanation from the administration.'
