Kids Left 'Haunted' After ICE Shattered Car Window During Dad's ICE Arrest Despite Pleas 'Not to Use Violence,' Mom Says

Masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shattered a car window and arrested a Massachusetts father in front of his three children on Mother's Day, despite pleas from his wife "not to use violence."

On May 11, Daniel Flores-Martinez, an undocumented immigrant and father of three, was forcibly detained in Chelsea, Massachusetts, after ICE agents surrounded his family's car with unmarked vehicles, Flores-Martinez's wife, Kenia Guerrero, wrote in a Boston Globe op-ed.

According to his wife, they refused to identify themselves or present a warrant, even as she, a U.S. citizen, asked for one. With their three children in the back seat, including their 12-year-old daughter who lives with epilepsy and cerebral palsy, agents shattered the passenger window and dragged Flores-Martinez from the car, throwing him face-down onto the sidewalk.

Flores-Martinez has since been deported to Matamoros, Mexico, a city where he has no connections. His wife says the family's life has unraveled in his absence.

"Our daughter's condition has worsened. Her mental health has deteriorated," Guerrero revealed. "Our youngest son refuses to ride in the car, haunted by the memory of what happened. Our teenager has withdrawn from school and friends. We've lost our only source of income: The painting business Daniel and I built together."

Despite pleas to delay deportation for one year to allow a safe transition of their daughter's "complex medical care," ICE ignored the request. Lawyers for Civil Rights are now representing the family, and local group La Colaborativa is helping them stay afloat as they seek a path forward.