East Boston Father Sues ICE After Being Detained Despite Lawful Status
ICE Racially Profiled Immigrant, Ignored Proof of Lawful Status, Wrongfully Arrested Him, and Held Him Under Inhumane Conditions for Two Days
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Jose Pineda, a Salvadoran immigrant with lawful humanitarian status, after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unlawfully targeted him based on his race and national origin, arrested him despite clear proof of his lawful status, and detained him for two days under inhumane conditions at an ICE field office in Burlington, Massachusetts.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, seeks damages for Mr. Pineda under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) for false arrest, false imprisonment, assault, and severe emotional distress.
Mr. Pineda has lived in the United States for more than thirty years. He resides in East Boston with his wife and 12-year-old daughter.
Mr. Pineda works in landscaping.
On May 27, 2025, Mr. Pineda was driving a landscaping truck to a worksite when unmarked ICE vehicles pulled him over without cause. Without explanation, armed agents surrounded him. The ICE officers demanded his identification and questioned him about his place of birth and national origin. Mr. Pineda immediately provided his driver’s license and documentation confirming his lawful immigration status. Nevertheless, an ICE agent told Mr. Pineda – in both English and Spanish – that if he was not born in the United States, he had no rights.
ICE officers then forced Mr. Pineda out of his vehicle, placed him under arrest, and violently restrained him in handcuffs and chains. They confiscated his personal belongings, including $600 in cash, and transported him to the ICE field office in Burlington, where he remained in custody under deplorable conditions for two days.
Mr. Pineda was released only after Centro Presente, a community-based organization, advocated on his behalf.
To add insult to injury, upon Mr. Pineda’s release, ICE never returned the $600 it had confiscated, money Mr. Pineda intended to use to pay his family’s rent. As a result, the family has experienced financial hardship. ICE’s wrongful detention caused Mr. Pineda to miss work.
Following Mr. Pineda’s release, ICE initiated removal proceedings against him despite his lawful humanitarian status. Those proceedings were instituted maliciously and without legal justification following ICE’s unlawful arrest and detention. Since Mr. Pineda is not removable, the deportation proceedings ended in dismissal.
“I came to the United States to escape the civil war that devastated El Salvador. I worked hard, started a family, and built a life here,” said Jose Pineda. “I never expected to feel that kind of fear again, much less in the United States. After what ICE did to me, and after everything my family has endured, I don’t know if I will ever truly feel safe again.”
“We will not stand idly by as ICE wreaks havoc on immigrant families. Through racial profiling, ICE agents are carrying out an unquestionably discriminatory agenda,” said Victoria Miranda, Senior Attorney at LCR. “The law exists to protect people like Mr. Pineda, and it must be enforced against ICE.”
“Justice must be served in the case of Jose’s arbitrary and violent detention. This case is an example of the violations of basic human rights against immigrant communities perpetrated by ICE agents. In response to this brutal incident, Centro Presente continues to provide support to the Pineda family,” said Patricia Montes, Executive Director of Centro Presente.
“ICE targeted Mr. Pineda based on nothing more than his perceived national origin and the nature of his work,” said Mirian Albert, Senior Attorney at LCR. “Our laws prohibit this kind of arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement. Through this lawsuit, we seek to hold the federal government accountable for the violence and harm inflicted on Mr. Pineda.”
Shortly after the incident, LCR filed an administrative complaint, a required precursor for litigation, on behalf of Mr. Pineda with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Under the FTCA, once six months have elapsed without a response, a lawsuit may be filed in federal court. As ICE deploys unlawful enforcement tactics, LCR will continue to hold the federal government accountable.
The case is Pineda v. United States, No. 26-CV-13149 (D. Mass.).
Click here to download the complaint.
