Keating demands answers, halt to deportation of man taken by ICE in New Bedford

Gino DeAngelis,

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — Rep. Bill Keating sent a letter Thursday demanding answers on the ICE apprehension of Francisco Méndez.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel, and leadership of both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Keating demanded an “immediate halt to any efforts to remove him from the United States until his asylum claim is decided.”

“There is no excuse for how the Méndez family is being treated – they deserve answers, they deserve to be reunited, and they certainly should not live under the threat of their husband and father facing deportation to a country that the United States has already recognized as unsafe for them to return to,” Keating said.

The congressman also asked why the ICE was in the city on April 14, why they targeted Méndez, where he was being detained, and when his next hearing was scheduled.

In the letter, Keating said that Méndez and his family were waiting in their car for their attorney when ICE agents smashed in their window and dragged both Méndez  and his wife out of the car.

Keating also said that ICE agents referred to Méndez by a different name, and that they would not show a warrant.

“The Méndez’s 9-year-old son and Mrs. Méndez were granted political asylum in 2023,” the letter reads. “Mr. Méndez began the process of receiving derivative asylum due to his wife’s status in October 2024. As a part of that ongoing process Mr. Méndez provided biometric information to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in December 2024. Mr. Méndez is seeking an adjudication of his asylum status so that he can stay with his wife and child in New Bedford.”

ICE released a statement that said that the actions of its agents were “appropriate” when taking Méndez into custody.

The full letter can be read here.

Categories: Massachusetts, New Bedford, News

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