After a video showing federal agents smashing a car window to arrest an illegal immigrant went viral online, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is dispelling rumors about both the agent involved and the detainee.
The arrest was carried out by Boston ICE officials and took place in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Monday.
The footage, which the detainee’s wife took from the inside of a car, shows two federal agents attempting to speak with two individuals who have locked themselves in the vehicle, claiming they are waiting for their lawyer. After unsuccessfully trying to access the vehicle, the agents use a large hammer to smash the backseat car window.
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Eventually, the agents arrested one of the car’s occupants, a 29-year-old Guatemalan man named Juan Francisco-Mendez.
According to local outlet The New Bedford Light, Francisco-Mendez’s lawyer, Ondine Gálvez, claims he has no criminal history in Massachusetts and is seeking asylum status.
Francisco-Mendez’s wife, who is identified by the outlet as “Marilú,” said the agents “pulled us out violently” and “treated us very harshly.”
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent is pictured during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago on Jan. 26. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The video has since gone viral and sparked significant controversy. Some people online have even claimed that the agent who smashed the window is a far-right militia member named Lewis Arthur.
A spokesperson for ICE told Fox News Digital that Francisco-Mendez “refused to comply with officers’ instructions and resisted apprehension” and that the agent’s actions were in line with training on applying the minimum amount of force needed.
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ICE Boston recently apprehended Jose Fernando-Perez, a Guatemalan national in the U.S. illegally who is facing multiple child rape charges in Massachusetts. (iStock | ICE)
“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,” the spokesperson said.
The representative categorically denied that the agent involved in the arrest was Arthur, saying rather that he is a legitimate federal agent working with ICE.
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The spokesperson declined to release the name of the officer publicly but confirmed to Fox News Digital that “he is a federal law enforcement officer who has worked with ICE to help keep New England communities safe for years.”
“The officer recorded making an arrest in New Bedford, Mass., is not militia leader Lewis Arthur,” the spokesperson said, adding that “the rumors circulating on social media that ICE Boston employed a militia leader from Arizona to make arrests in New England are not only false, but they are also inflammatory and place the safety of federal officers in jeopardy.”
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ICE agents knock on the door of a residence during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago on Jan. 26. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“ICE vehemently denies the lies that are being spread on social media,” the spokesperson said, noting that “our ICE officers are facing a 300% increase in assaults while carrying out enforcement operations.”
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Regarding the detained migrant, ICE said Francisco-Mendez is in the country illegally despite reporting that he is a legal asylum seeker.
Francisco-Mendez has now been served with a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge.
