Washington, DC — In their pursuit of mass deportation, this administration – and ICE in particular – is intent to avoid even basic accountability and dignity.
From wearing masks and tactical gear and brandishing weapons; to cruelty such as breaking car windows to detain parents in front of their families; to lowering hiring standards and age limits in a rush to recruit more agents, ICE has been acting with dangerous impunity at odds with the goal of keeping American communities safe. As America’s Voice has been highlighting, children often bear most of the fear and trauma.
A disturbing story from Massachusetts captures many of these themes – the dangerous combination of ICE impunity and cruelty and the devastating impact on children and families targeted by the mass deportation crusade. As Telemundo New England and NBC Boston report in, “ICE agents held 5-year-old girl outside Leominster home to get father to surrender, family says,” features a disturbing video documenting ICE agents in Leominster, MA detaining a 5-year old girl in an effort to pressure her father to surrender to ICE authorities. As NBC reported, “In a recording obtained by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, the family’s anguished screams can be heard as they try to recover the girl” (see fuller excerpts below).
The following is a statement from Joanna Kuebler, Chief of Programs for America’s Voice:
“That ICE would try to hold hostage a parent’s love for a child to force a father’s arrest and detention is abhorrent. This visceral event is just another frightening example of a broader and deeply disturbing pattern by this administration. The combination of cruelty and impunity in pursuit of a mass deportation crusade is dangerous for America and all of our safety. Smashing car windows, ripping families apart and traumatizing children threatens the public safety of American communities and the stability of our nation.”
NBC Boston report in, “ICE agents held 5-year-old girl outside Leominster home to get father to surrender, family says” notes:
“A Guatemalan family from Leominster, Massachusetts, says federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained their 5-year-old daughter outside their home to pressure her father to surrender.
In a recording obtained by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, the family’s anguished screams can be heard as they try to recover the girl.
…”Hey, I can give it through the door,” a man is heard saying in response.
“You can do it right here,” the agent says, pointing to the ground in front of himself.
The mother reported alleged harassment by the officers. “They threatened us, saying that if we didn’t open the door within 15 minutes, they would enter the house,” she told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra.
Leominster police arrived at the scene, recovered the child and returned her to the family. However, two days later, on Hip’s wife’s birthday, federal agents returned to the house, pulled the man out of the car and arrested him.
“Officers came out behind my house, arrested him, took him away,” the mother said. “We are not criminals.”
Lizeth Román, a friend and neighbor of the family, demands that further investigation be conducted into the agents’ actions.
“The use of bounty hunters and officers without a warrant (should) be investigated,” she told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra. “They had them cornered. We don’t know if they’re still there right now. They came out from behind the house, got in through there, and tried to get into our window.”
The girl is in good condition, the family says, while her father is being held at an ICE detention center in Plymouth. He and his wife have an active asylum claim and are the parents of two children born in the United States.”
