‘They pulled me out’: Woman describes moment husband was arrested by ICE agents in New Bedford

A New Bedford woman described the moment she and her husband were pulled from their car by federal immigration agents Monday Marilu Domingo Ortiz s husband Juan Francisco Mendez was arrested while the two were sitting in a car in New Bedford They demanded them to lower the window but since they didn t do it they didn t specifically say they were going to smash the window but they did say If you re not coming out the right way you re gonna come out Ortiz reported through an interpreter Mendez reported the agents they were waiting for their attorney who was on the way The agents eventually brought in a pickaxe to smash the window and pull the couple out of their car I was afraid I didn t even know what to do and they did grab me and they pulled me out Ortiz disclosed She explained she began recording as soon as the agents approached the bus Immigration attorney Ondine Galvez Sniffin declared the agents grabbed the husband from behind to keep him from holding onto the front door forcibly opened the front door and dragged both him and his wife out of the car There was no need for them to use that level of physical force It was utterly unjustified but it s been happening it s going to continue happening because nobody s stopping them she continued Sniffin explained she believes the arrest is a occurrence of mistaken identity They were looking for someone named Antonio Ortiz declared through an interpreter Their attorney stated Mendez is in the process of getting legal status in the United States and that he has no criminal record in the state We also know that this is not our country and everything that is going on we revealed If it happens to us it happens to us But we do have everything legal We are going through everything the right way Ortiz declared Ortiz and the couple s -year-old son already have legal status ICE published a declaration Wednesday regarding Mendez s arrest During the syllabus of his arrest he refused to comply with officers instructions and resisted apprehension 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 an ICE spokesperson noted