Daniel F.M.: Father dragged from car by ICE agents as U.S. citizen children scream
Daniel Flores Martinez was dragged from his car and slammed to the ground by unmarked agents on Mother's Day while driving to church with his wife and children. He and his wife are now suing ICE and Homeland Security.
May 2025Chelsea, MA

Daniel Flores Martinez was detained by ICE agents on Mother's Day 2025 after federal officers in unmarked cars surrounded his vehicle as he, his wife Kenia Guerrero, their three children (ages 3, 12 and 14) and his mother-in-law drove to church. Agents, who never identified themselves or their agency, broke the car window, dragged Flores Martinez out, and slammed him to the ground while his children screamed; Guerrero, who along with her children is a U.S. citizen, was restrained against the vehicle when she tried to intervene. Flores Martinez and Guerrero have since filed a federal lawsuit against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, alleging the agents used illegal "smash and grab" tactics in violation of constitutional protections.
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Sources
- Local immigrant families speak out about the impact of ICE detentions
Northeast News Collaborative·Jun 4, 2025·archived copy
- ‘I am the voice of thousands of cases’: In Chelsea, immigrants describe detentions and deportations
Boston Globe·Jun 16, 2026·archived copy
- Lawyers for Civil Rights
- 'State-sanctioned cruelty': Chelsea family sues ICE after Mother's Day arrest last year
Boston.com·Mar 5, 2026
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