US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is confronting intense public scrutiny following the circulation of a disturbing video that appears to show a man falling unconscious while tightly holding his small child during an arrest operation.
Chaotic Scene in Massachusetts
The incident unfolded in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on Thursday morning when ICE agents conducted a traffic stop targeting a family. Footage obtained by the Boston Globe reveals a frantic commotion inside the vehicle, with a distressed woman in the passenger seat attempting to awaken the unconscious man in the driver's seat as a child cries between them.
Bystanders can be heard shouting "He's having a seizure" as officers attempt to pull passengers from the vehicle. One witness described the alarming scene, stating "They're trying to rip the baby out of [his] hand" while Fitchburg police officers repeatedly ordered the gathering crowd to back up.
Conflicting Accounts Emerge
ICE officials have defended their actions, claiming the medical emergency was fabricated. Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, stated on social media that emergency medical personnel "found no legitimate medical episode" and that the family subsequently refused medical care.
The Department of Homeland Security amplified this position with a statement reading: "Imagine FAKING a seizure to help a criminal escape justice."
However, Carlos Sebastian Zapata, the man seen in the video, provided a different account to the Boston Globe. He explained he fell unconscious from fear that his wife would be taken into custody. "I wasn't letting go of my wife because they wanted to take her away," Zapata stated, adding that agents pushed him, hit his ribs, and pressed on his neck during the attempted arrest.
Broader Immigration Context
The operation targeted Zapata's wife, Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya from Ecuador, who was taken into custody on Thursday. Officials confirmed she had an outstanding arrest warrant for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after allegedly stabbing a co-worker and throwing a trash barrel at her.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of the Trump administration's intensified deportation campaign, including Operation Patriot 2.0 in Massachusetts during September, which led to the detention of more than 1,400 people in the state for immigration-related reasons.
The controversy follows another recent ICE-related incident where heavily armed federal immigration agents arrested a US citizen in a Los Angeles Home Depot parking lot and drove away with his one-year-old child, who is also an American citizen, still in the vehicle.
