Mother deported by ICE in Connecticut sues federal government over family separation
Nancy Martinez, deported from New Haven after ICE arrested her at her children's school, has filed a lawsuit alleging abusive treatment and failure to protect her children.
ICE agents seized Nancy Martinez in front of her New Haven home on June 9, 2025 while she was taking her children to school, handcuffing her and driving her away in an unmarked vehicle despite her lack of English and no warrant shown. Her 9-year-old son, who has autism, and her teenage daughter, identified as M.A.M. in court documents, watched the arrest and were left on the street without a designated caretaker. Martinez’s lawsuit, supported by the Yale Law School Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, accuses ICE of neglecting her mother, refusing to inform the children’s father of their whereabouts, and causing severe emotional distress.
The Department of Homeland Security counters that Martinez was in the country illegally and had prior arrests, labeling the claims “blatantly false.” The complaint seeks financial compensation for the alleged reckless and abusive actions. The case highlights broader concerns about family separations under ICE’s 2025 Detained Parents Directive, which critics say reduces agency responsibility for keeping families together.
Why it matters
The case underscores how ICE enforcement can disrupt families and raise questions about accountability for child welfare during deportations.
How this story developed
- Aug 13 San Antonio immigrants live in constant fear as ICE arrests surge
- Sep 20 A man was wounded after being shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in North Austin, Texas, and taken to a local hospital.
- Sep 27 A federal judge scheduled a personal appearance for the man on September 30 and issued a temporary order halting his deportation.
- Sep 29 The U.S. Supreme Court granted the Justice Department’s emergency request, letting the Trump administration continue deporting migrants to third countries while the policy’s legality is examined.
- Sep 30 Supreme Court issued an emergency order allowing third‑country deportations to continue.
- Sep 30 An immigration judge ruled that Salah Sarsour, head of Wisconsin’s largest mosque, can be deported on national-security grounds despite his claim that the case targets his Palestinian-rights advocacy.
- Sep 30 The Justice Department lodged complaints with the 8th Circuit alleging that Minnesota federal judges made partisan statements about a Trump-era deportation surge.
- Oct 1 A federal indictment charging Garces Perez with assault was filed.
- Oct 3 The filing requests that the judges be barred from hearing Department of Homeland Security cases.
- Oct 3 A Chicago immigration judge allowed a possible deportation of Salah Sarsour.
- Oct 8 A person was shot by federal agents in Marble Hill, Bronx, and is now receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
- Oct 9 ICE announced it will continue enforcement actions in New York City despite the shooting.
- Oct 10 Protests spread to Manhattan and lower Manhattan, drawing thousands of demonstrators.
- Oct 10 An off‑duty ICE agent was shot after allegedly assaulting a homeowner and his father in Fresno.
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