Family Files Federal Complaint After Masked ICE Agents Shatter Car Window, Drag Passenger Out Of Car On Way To Church
Mother’s Day Incident Follows Pattern Of Increasingly Aggressive ICE Enforcement
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) has filed a complaint under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) on behalf of a Chelsea family that was violently and unlawfully attacked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Mother’s Day while on their way to church. The complaint seeks damages for the brutality, raising claims of excessive force, wrongful arrest, assault, and the infliction of lasting trauma, especially on the family’s three U.S. citizen children.
Captured on video, the incident follows a pattern of increasingly aggressive ICE enforcement. On Sunday, May 11, 2025, Kenia Guerrero, a U.S. citizen, was following the family’s Sabbath routine and driving to church. Her husband, Daniel Flores-Martinez, and their three children — ages 3, 12 and 14 — were passengers in the car. After being pulled over, multiple unmarked vehicles surrounded and blocked the family’s car. Masked officers surrounded the vehicle, demanded identification, and—without ever identifying themselves or producing a warrant—smashed the passenger side car window with a weapon, reached into the car to unlock the door, opened the door, and forcibly dragged Mr. Flores-Martinez out of the car. Glass shattered inside the vehicle onto the distressed children.
Officers forcibly dragged Mr. Flores-Martinez from the car, violently slammed him to the ground, and arrested him without explanation—all while his wife and children screamed and cried in terror. Mrs. Guerrero was also forcibly held by police in front of her children.
The family was left with no information about why Mr. Flores-Martinez was arrested or where he was being taken. It was only later that Mrs. Guerrero confirmed with certainty that the officers were from ICE and that Mr. Flores-Martinez had been taken to immigration detention. For more than twenty days, Mr. Flores-Martinez has remained confined, with immigration authorities recently denying the family’s request for a stay of removal.
The incident, which unfolded in minutes, reflects an alarming pattern of aggressive ICE operations in Massachusetts, where federal agents increasingly use force without following well-established state and federal law, including their own standards of enforcement. This is an outright disregard for basic constitutional protections and civil rights. There were no warrants or officer identification produced before the sudden and forceful seizure. The incident was unreasonable, unlawful, and deeply traumatizing.
“This family was targeted, traumatized, and torn apart without cause,” said Victoria Miranda, Senior Attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights. “The government’s brutality on Mother’s Day in front of children was not only unconstitutional—it was inhumane. We demand that the federal government uphold the Constitution and respect the rule of law.”
The complaint filed today is a required precursor to a federal tort claims lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Boston.
LCR is demanding accountability and calling for an end to unlawful ICE operations, which are happening frequently in the heart of immigrant communities and causing profound and lasting trauma. Mrs. Guerrero and her three children continue to experience severe psychological distress and recurring nightmares. Her middle child, who lives with multiple severe and complex medical conditions, was particularly impacted. Mrs. Guerrero struggles to care for her children physically, emotionally, and financially since her husband was the primary income earner for the family.
“My children watched as their father was physically attacked, treated like an animal, and ripped away from us,” said Kenia Guerrero. “They have so many questions, but I don’t have the answers. Why would the government tear our family apart like this? No mother should have to explain this kind of cruelty to her children. Our family belongs together. Why hasn’t my husband been released? We need him home.”
“Law enforcement officials cannot open the car door without justification. A car’s interior as a whole is subject to Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable intrusions. No family should experience this level of fear, intimidation, and violence, especially not in front of young children on Mother’s Day and the Sabbath,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights. “We must protect basic human dignity. Immigration enforcement cannot be a blank check for brutality. Since this is not an isolated incident, we are sharing the Chelsea complaint to help other lawyers support impacted families across the country.”
LCR’s complaint, filed with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, details how federal agents violated the family’s Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights, and ignored federal regulations for ICE enforcement, including warrantless arrest, failure to identify, and illegal use of force. The complaint also raises claims of false imprisonment, assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The family is receiving legal support from Lawyers for Civil Rights and community support from La Colaborativa, an organization in Chelsea, Mass.
Watch the video of Mr. Flores-Martinez’s arrest here.
Click here for the complaint.