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José Pineda says he was held in inhumane and unsanitary conditions and put in a cell with 40 to 60 people at a time.
An East Boston man living in the United States with lawful humanitarian status alleges he was wrongfully arrested by federal immigration authorities and held for days in inhumane conditions.
“I still can’t sleep,” José Pineda said in the statement. “I have nightmares every night, and my daughter is living in fear. She cries when she sees the police. I came to this country for safety. ICE treated me like a criminal because of how I look and where I’m from—even though I followed every rule.”
Pineda, a 61-year-old man who works in landscaping to support his wife and 12-year-old daughter, was on his way to work on May 27 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers surrounded his truck with unmarked vehicles and armed agents, Lawyers for Civil Rights said in a statement. The officers allegedly mocked Pineda, who was born in El Salvador, when he informed them of his legal status, allegedly telling him he had no rights because he was not born in the U.S. and arresting him without giving a reason for his detention.
LCR, a Boston nonprofit, filed a complaint on Pineda’s behalf, seeking damages for “ICE’s reckless, discriminatory, and unconstitutional conduct, including false arrest, excessive force, and prolonged inhumane detention,” the group said.
“Mr. Pineda was racially profiled and targeted based solely on his national origin,” Victoria Miranda, a senior attorney at LCR, said in the statement. “The officers confiscated his Social Security card and work authorization card, indicating that they were aware of his legal status at the time of arrest. Still, they held him captive without cause in inhumane conditions for two days before correcting their mistake. This brutal disregard for civil rights has left lasting trauma, and the officers responsible must be held accountable.”
In response to a request for comment, an ICE spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
According to LCR, Pineda was chained by ICE agents and confined in a cell with 40 to 60 people at a time at the agency’s field office in Burlington.
“It was so crowded that Mr. Pineda couldn’t sit, lie down, or sleep,” the group said. “He was not allowed to bathe, brush his teeth, or change his clothes. He was provided with minimal water and inedible food.”
The $600 in cash that was confiscated at his arrest was not returned when Pineda was released after two days, according to the lawyers group.
The ICE officers did not present a warrant or officer identification when Pineda was confronted and arrested, according to LCR. The group called the incident a reflection of an “alarming pattern of ICE’s unlawful and inhumane practices in Massachusetts, where federal agents regularly operate without following well-established state and federal law, including their own standards of enforcement.”
In June, ICE announced they arrested close to 1,500 undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts and promised that they would not slow down. The detentions in Massachusetts have seen increasingly heavy-handed tactics being deployed by ICE agents. Agents routinely cover their faces while operating in public, which federal officials say is necessary to prevent them and their families from being targeted online.
Others, including elected leaders like Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu, say the agents are operating like “secret police” and should not be hiding their identities. Some Massachusetts communities are suing the federal government over its attempts to strip funding from them due to their “sanctuary” policies, even as the Trump administration targets “sanctuary jurisdictions” with litigation.
According to LCR, Pineda’s encounter with ICE impacted his ability to work, placing his family in financial hardship. His experience was “unreasonable, unlawful, and deeply traumatizing,” the group said.
The family is receiving community support from Centro Presente in addition to LCR.
In June, LCR filed a complaint on behalf of a Chelsea family against federal immigration officials, alleging that they were violently attacked on their way to church on Mother’s Day.
“When ICE officers ignore clear evidence of lawful status, detain people without warrants, and subject them to degrading conditions, they violate the Constitution,” Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, said in the statement. “We demand accountability—not only for Mr. Pineda, but for immigrant families across Massachusetts who deserve safety and dignity under the law.”
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