"Guatemalan Man Detained by ICE Released on Bond in Massachusetts"
Read "Guatemalan Man Detained by ICE Released on Bond in Massachusetts" on WALY Radio
"Guatemalan Man Detained by ICE Released on Bond in Massachusetts"
[!CDATA[A man residing in Massachusetts, Juan Francisco Mendez, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in April after an incident involving a smashed car window, has been released on a $1,500 bond. Mendez, originally from Guatemala, was held at Strafford County Corrections in Dover, New Hampshire, for a month before his release on Thursday. He will be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor while the U.S. government continues to pursue his deportation, as confirmed by his attorney, Ryan Sullivan. Mendez, 29, was taken into custody by ICE agents on April 14 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, while he was on his way to a dental appointment. Despite having no criminal record, he was detained by agents who claimed they were looking for another individual with a different name in the same neighborhood. Mendez was in the process of applying for asylum status, which he is still pursuing. Following a hearing on May 8 where his case was dismissed by an immigration judge due to the government holding him without initiating deportation proceedings, Mendez was charged with being in the country illegally. Subsequently, a judge ordered his release on a $1,500 bond on Thursday. Mendez's lawyers emphasized that he was detained based on his appearance and inability to immediately prove his immigration status. The incident involving Mendez's detention was captured on video by his wife, Marilu Domingo Ortiz, showing ICE agents using a hammer to break the car window before taking Ortiz into custody. Ortiz and her 9-year-old son have already been granted asylum status due to fears of persecution in Guatemala. Mendez was in the process of applying for derivative asylum, which allows family members to obtain asylum if a relative already has it. Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, another lawyer representing Mendez's family, described the distressing scene where Mendez's wife was crying and pleading for help in Spanish as he was taken away in handcuffs. The use of force by ICE agents during the incident was highlighted as unprecedented by the lawyer, who has extensive experience in immigration cases. Despite attempts to reach ICE for comment, a spokesperson did not respond to inquiries regarding Mendez's case. The release of Mendez on bond marks a significant development in his ongoing immigration proceedings, as he continues to seek asylum status in the United States.]]