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BURLINGTON — A visibly exhausted Juan Francisco Méndez left the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday evening, hours after advocates posted bail for him.
He kept his statements to the press brief.
“The only thing I can really say right now is that I am sad,” the Guatemalan immigrant said in Spanish, moments after leaving the front door of the Department of Homeland Security ICE Field Office in Burlington, an ankle monitor newly attached to his leg. “I’m worried about the situation because I was unjustly incarcerated for more than 30 days.
“My mind is blank right now,” he continued. “I just want to see my family now.”
Earlier in the day, Immigration Judge Yul-mi Cho of the Chelmsford Immigration Court set a $1,500 bail for the New Bedford resident whom agents detained in a violent window-smashing arrest on April 14. DHS argued Méndez was a flight risk, but his lawyer, Ondine Gálvez Sniffen, said that was absurd as she argued for a $0 bond.
“My client is not a flight risk or danger to the community,” she said in court, adding that his arrest and detention were illegal.
“I don’t have the legal authority to set a $0 bond,” Cho said, arguing that the statute set $1,500 as the minimum bond. His bond was posted around noon.
Adrian Ventura, executive director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores, said the funds were raised from Méndez’s family as well as a community GoFundMe run by the CCT and other New Bedford organizations.
“It’s difficult to see people like this,” said Ventura, who picked Méndez up from Burlington. “But we have to be strong.”
Méndez still faces a charge of illegal entry into the U.S. and is slated for a master hearing in Chelmsford next Thursday before Judge Cho.
31 days in detention
Méndez, who does not have a criminal record in Massachusetts, was arrested after agents smashed the window of his vehicle on Tallman Street in New Bedford on April 14. A viral video of his arrest, first published by The Light, became international news.
Méndez, 29, had been seeking asylum status in the U.S. through his wife, who has been granted asylum.
Méndez’s initial case was closed for a failure to prosecute by the Chelmsford court on May 8. It was later discovered that Méndez had been assigned multiple alien registration numbers for his case — meaning that the number in Immigration Judge Donald Ostrom and Sniffin’s records was different from that of ICE.
“This is a first for me,” Sniffin said, at the time. “And I think they are going to have to keep doing this because they keep making mistakes.”
Efforts to secure Méndez’s release also included an emergency motion for release filed May 8 by Ryan Sullivan, a lawyer representing Méndez in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire — whose jurisdiction includes Strafford County Corrections in Dover, N.H., where he was being held. Judge Joseph N. LaPlante denied the motion last Friday.
Nonetheless, Méndez had only one thing on his mind as he entered Ventura’s car in Burlington at 5:18 p.m.
“I’m happy, ‘cause soon, I will finally be with my family.”
Kevin G. Andrade can be reached at kandrade@newbedfordlight.org
A flight risk???
Make it make sense.
These smash and grab arrests are unAmerican and inhumane. Even our military treats its enemies better than this. Appalling!
Yes, he’s going to flee to Brockton! Absurd? Yes, and so was his detention.
What a cluster of an event. Wasted effort by government. And a sad chapter for this man and his family.
Stop the madness!!
This is why we have to keep up the pressure. Mr. Mendez is only one of hundreds being detained unlawfully by ICE.
His and others’ violent kidnapping happened to be caught on video and drew national attention which provoked a groundswell of protests around the country.
I am relieved that Mr. Mendez has been released, but we cannot forget all of the other families impacted by these Gestapo-like tactics.
I feel like we are witnessing a rebirth of Hitler’s Brown Shirts, and tomorrow, it could be any of us.
Amen
False
Mendez is a “victim” of his own making. He chose to illegally enter the United States and live as an illegal for several years…he also choose to not cooperate with ICE resulting in the broken widow arrest. Try publishing some truth….
There was no warranty or ID presented, so can you blame anyone not wanting to end up in a slave labour camp in El Salvador?
When you are asked by law enforcement to roll down your windows and put both hands on the steering wheel, you do so. Law enforcement doesn’t know what the next move might be, a gun a knife, or a phone call to others to come to his aid? The Officer was defending himself. It’s too bad law enforcement doesn’t get the respect they are entitled to. They waited close to 2 hours for his attorney to come to his defense, not a half hour. That is according to a witness who was at the scene and stated that on WBSM Radio. I believe this would never happen if he did what he was asked while waiting for his attorney. I’m sorry this happened. He does have rights to due process and I’m sure after further investigation he would have been released. Our law enforcement officers lives matter as well.
“When you are asked by law enforcement to roll down your windows and put both hands on the steering wheel, you do so.”
If you are subservient to the state.
ICE learned from the NAZIs how to take undesirables into custody.
NAZI lives were so valuable.
When a police officer stops someone and asks for their license and registration and if he has any suspicions then asks them to step out of the vehicle and put their hands on the vehicle, someone can tell him to go fly a kite? I don’t think so.
First, he did not refuse to cooperate with ICE. He asked to wait until his lawyer arrived. Would you have done the same? Secondly, he escape a violent situation where people like him were being murdered and women rape. Would you have done the same under these circumstances? Have you ever heard of compassion and empathy for your fellow man? Or do you consider those words vulgarity as Trump and his hateful henchmen do? Grow a heart!
First of all he did refuse to cooperate with ICE, by not rolling down his window and not placing his hands on the wheel. His only right according to the Constitution states that he has the right to remain silent. Second, I do have a heart, compassion and empathy. I have all 3 when it comes to Law Enforcement safety. Do you have compassion and empathy for the love ones of Sgt. Sean Gannon? He was shot and killed and his K9 was injured while trying to serve a warrant through a closed door. I’m sure when Sgt. Gannon kissed his wife and baby goodbye that morning, he didn’t think it would be his last. Mr. Mendez might be the nicest guy, a hard working family man, but again the Agent didn’t know that. What about Rachel Morin who was brutally beaten, raped and murdered by an undocumented immigrant in Maryland in 2023. Her mother was invited to the Republican National Convention by President Trump, and shared the details with both parties, of her daughter’s horrific death. I didn’t see compassion or empathy shown by your party. They didn’t even stand or acknowledge her presence. Seems to me you have no regards for American citizens. I welcome those who want to come to America, but do it legally. By the way, I am 75 years old, a registered Democrat for over 50 years, but after the last few administrations, I changed my party to Independent. Have a great day.
He was under no legal obligation to roll down his window.
He had not committed crime.
That is why he was released
Asylum isn’t “illegal”. Bring facts to the conversation otherwise you’re just repeating bigoted nonsense.
He [*does not have asylum*] to date, and as the article reads, ” It was later discovered that Méndez had been assigned multiple alien registration numbers for his case — meaning that the number in Immigration Judge Donald Ostrom and Sniffin’s records was different from that of ICE. “This is a first for me,” Sniffin said, at the time. “And I think they are going to have to keep doing this because they keep making mistakes.”
Why were so many numbers assigned to him? While it may be a procedural issue, it is a reason in this era for an arrest and for a judge to allow a person to be held, and, or, deported, if the person’s status warrants it.
This post Biden weight was intentional. Court dates are difficult to come by, so one claiming asylum lingers in an ‘in process’ state. The dates are so because of the millions allowed in by the Biden badministration. It’s also still rather common for some aIiens to not follow through with the process, so there is that matter, which is their responsibility entirely.
The situation nationwide is a result of the previous Biden gov’t, and most U.S. citizens know that, and that there are going to be as offensive corrective measures taken, to the previous’ purposefully making a massive situational problem, from the first day he lifted the pen to sign off on tree son us activity, not protecting the border.
100% AGREE WITH YOU!!!
What I can’t understand is why ALL the Liberal Biden Democrats & Growing Welfare Class want to keep the 15+ Million Illegal Immigrants?
10 more years of Biden Democrats and America a 3rd world country.
Are they bad people?
Worse than what we already have?
For the most part immigrants are Christians.
Just look at our houses of worship
A Tax Payer exactly, and there won’t be a middle class. America will be the land of the poor and rich. The middle class is being drained, to house, feed, provide medical care and education to millions of Immigrants. We can’t afford it, had no say in it, dictatorship. President Bidens open border was meant for one thing, to increase the population for the next census in Blue states in order to increase the number of US representatives and districts. The Democratic Party is willing to ruin this country for power and control of the national budget.