Massachusetts Lawyer Group Files Lawsuit After ICE Agents Allegedly Smash Car Window During Arrest
CHELSEA MASSACHUSETTS, Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on behalf of a Chelsea family who allege their car window was shattered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an arrest on Mother’s Day while their three young children were in the vehicle.
The lawsuit seeks damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act, claiming excessive force, wrongful arrest, assault, and what the complaint describes as lasting trauma inflicted on the family after federal agents allegedly removed a father from the family vehicle while they were on their way to church.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on Sunday, May 11, 2025, when Kenia Guerrero, a U.S. citizen, was driving to church with her husband, Daniel Flores Martinez, and their three young children. The lawsuit alleges that several unmarked vehicles suddenly surrounded and blocked their car.
The filing states that masked officers approached the vehicle, demanded identification, and allegedly did not identify themselves or present a warrant. The complaint claims officers smashed the passenger-side window with a weapon, reached inside the vehicle to unlock the door, and forcibly removed Flores from the car. The filing also states that shattered glass fell inside the vehicle onto the children, including one child who reportedly has serious medical conditions including epilepsy, hydrocephalus, and cerebral palsy.
The lawsuit further alleges that officers forced Flores to the ground and arrested him while his wife and children cried in distress. The complaint also states that Guerrero was temporarily restrained by officers during the incident. According to the filing, the family was initially not told why Flores was arrested or where he was being taken. Guerrero later learned the officers were from ICE and that Flores had been transported to immigration detention.
Lawyers for Civil Rights said the incident highlights what the organization describes as aggressive immigration enforcement actions. Through the lawsuit, the Guerrero family is seeking accountability and safeguards to prevent similar incidents from occurring in immigrant communities.
Kenia Guerrero said the incident happened on a day the family had planned to celebrate Mother’s Day.
“That morning, we were getting ready to celebrate Mother’s Day. By afternoon, my children were crying, asking why masked men broke into our car and took their father away,” Guerrero said. “I told them I didn’t know. No mother should ever have to say that.”
Mirian Albert, a senior attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the case raises concerns about the treatment of families during enforcement actions.
“There is no justification for what happened to the Guerrero family,” Albert said. “The government must answer for the trauma it inflicts on children.”
Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for Lawyers for Civil Rights, said the lawsuit seeks accountability from the federal government.
“A family was shattered in minutes, and the effects will last a lifetime,” Sellstrom said. “We are asking the court to ensure accountability and prevent similar situations from happening to other families.”
Shortly after the incident, Lawyers for Civil Rights filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE, which is a required step before filing a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act. After six months passed without a response, the organization moved forward with filing the federal lawsuit.
The case is Guerrero v. United States, Docket No. 26-CV-11126 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
