Family says ICE agents smashed car window in seizing Guatemalan man who’s seeking asylum

Family says ICE agents smashed car window in seizing Guatemalan man who’s seeking asylum
Marilu Domingo Ortiz, whose husband was taken into custody by ICE agents after they smashed a window of their family car, shows a photograph of her spouse, Juan Francisco Mendez, at their home, Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in New Bedford, Mass. (AP)
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Updated 17 April 2025
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Family says ICE agents smashed car window in seizing Guatemalan man who’s seeking asylum

Family says ICE agents smashed car window in seizing Guatemalan man who’s seeking asylum
  • The incident comes as the governor and law enforcement officials in New England have raised concerns about the tactics ICE is using to detain people

NEW BEDFORD, Mass.: A Massachusetts family is demanding answers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, complaining its agents smashed a car window with a hammer and detained a man who they claim had applied for asylum.
A lawyer for the family also claims agents were not looking for Juan Francisco Mendez when they grabbed him Monday in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as he drove to a dental appointment. The lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, told The Associated Press during an interview that the agents claimed they were looking for another man with a different name before they dragged him and his wife out of the car.
The incident, recorded on video by Mendez’s wife Marilu Domingo Ortiz, shows ICE agents using a hammer to smash the car window and then seize Ortiz. The family believes Mendez is being held at a facility in Dover, New Hampshire.
“When I arrived on the scene, my client’s wife was sobbing. She was crying. She was shaking,” Galvez-Sniffin said, adding         athat Mendez yelled “Help Me” in Spanish as he was driven away in handcuffs.
“I walked over to the car and I see the busted window, the glass all over the back seat, and I was shocked,” the lawyer added. “I’ve been doing immigration work for 27 years and this was the first time that I saw such violent drastic measures being taken.”
A spokesman for ICE did not return repeated messages seeking comment.

Ortiz and her 9-year-old son have already been given protection under an asylum status over fears of facing persecution if they returned home to Guatemala. Mendez was in the process of applying for what is called derivative asylum, where you can get asylum if a family member already has it.
The woman said she felt “scared” when ICE broke into their car and never expected someone from her family would be detained like this.
“We came here to do honest work. To fight for our family,” Ortiz said through a translator. “What they did, or what they’re doing right now, no, it’s not fair. We don’t deserve that treatment.”
Ortiz said she was worried about the toll the detention was taking, especially on her son.
“He has already stopped eating because of what we’re going through,” she said. “I just hope that they release my husband so he can come back with us and that my son can be with him as well.”
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, in a post on X, said the incident “raises questions that require clear answers,” including why local police weren’t alerted beforehand. He also questioned whether ICE agents are targeting criminals as the Trump administration promised or, rather, “engaging in an indiscriminate round-up of individuals with uncertain immigration status.”
Galvez-Sniffin said Mendez had been in the country for four years and worked in the seafood industry in New Bedford. He had no criminal record, she said, and was in the process of applying for asylum. He had been fingerprinted in December, she said, adding nothing turned up in terms of a criminal record.
“There really was no reason to treat him the way that he and his wife were treated.” Galvez-Sniffin said, adding that agents refused to look at the paperwork showing he had applied for asylum.
“My biggest concern, his family’s biggest concern is getting him back,” she said. “He has no criminal background and everything to stay for in this country.”
The incident comes as the governor and law enforcement officials in New England have raised concerns about the tactics ICE is using to detain people.
Last month, ICE agent Brian Sullivan took Wilson Martell-Lebron, 49, into custody as he was leaving court. Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville found Sullivan in contempt, arguing that he deprived Martell-Lebron of his rights to due process and fair trial.
That case has since been dropped but the detention outside court while Martell-Lebron was on trial prompted Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden to call the actions of ICE “troubling and extraordinarily reckless.”
Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk of Turkiye, 30, is also challenging her detention by ICE. A video account shows her walking on a street in a Boston suburb as she is surrounded by immigration officials. Ozturk is heard screaming as they take her cellphone and is seen getting handcuffed. Her lawyers have called for her immediate release.


North Korea’s second naval destroyer damaged in a failed launch attended by Kim Jong Un

North Korea’s second naval destroyer damaged in a failed launch attended by Kim Jong Un
Updated 4 sec ago
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North Korea’s second naval destroyer damaged in a failed launch attended by Kim Jong Un

North Korea’s second naval destroyer damaged in a failed launch attended by Kim Jong Un
  • Disclosure of the failed ship launch suggests that Kim Jong Un is serious about his naval advancement program
  • The damaged vessel was likely the same class as the country’s first destroyer unveiled last month
SEOUL: North Korea’s second naval destroyer was damaged in a failed launch this week, state media reported Thursday, sparking fury from leader Kim Jong Un, who wants bigger warships to deal with what he calls escalating US-led threats against his country.
It’s not common for North Korea to acknowledge military-related setbacks, but observers say the disclosure of the failed ship launch suggests that Kim is serious about his naval advancement program and confident of ultimately achieving that objective.
During a launching event at the northeastern port of Chongjin on Wednesday, the newly built 5,000-tonne-class destroyer became unbalanced and was punctured in its bottom sections after a transport cradle on the stern section slid off first and became stuck, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA didn’t provide details on what caused the problem, the severity of the damage or whether anyone was injured.
According to KCNA, Kim, who was present at the ceremony, blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for a “serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.” Kim called for a ruling Workers’ Party meeting slated for late June to address their “irresponsible errors.”
The destroyers are North Korea’s most advanced warships
“It’s a shameful thing. But the reason why North Korea disclosed the incident is it wants to show it’s speeding up the modernization of its navy forces and expresses its confidence that it can eventually build” a greater navy, said Moon Keun-sik, a navy expert who teaches at Seoul’s Hanyang University.
Moon suspected the incident likely happened because North Korean workers aren’t yet familiar with such a large warship and were rushed to put it in the water.
The damaged vessel was likely the same class as the country’s first destroyer unveiled last month, which experts assessed as North Korea’s largest and most advanced warship to date. Kim called the first vessel, named Choe Hyon – a famed Korean guerilla fighter during the Japanese colonial period – a significant asset for advancing his goal of expanding the military’s operational range and nuclear strike capabilities.
State media described that ship as designed to carry weapons systems including nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. Kim said the ship was expected to enter active duty early next year and later supervised test-firings of missiles from the warship.
Satellite photos show the partially submerged destroyer
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the damaged vessel was likely equipped with similar systems and remains toppled over in the sea. An Associated Press analysis of Planet Labs PBC images taken Thursday showed the ship partially submerged on its side with tarpaulins draped over the wreckage.
Earlier commercial satellite images indicated that the country was building its second destroyer at a shipyard in Chongjin.
Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the satellite imagery of Chongjin’s Hambuk shipyard on May 12 showed that a second vessel in the Choe Hyon-class of guided missile destroyers was under construction.
A report by the North Korea-focused 38 North website assessed last week that the destroyer in Chongjin was being prepared to be launched sideways from the quay, a method that has been rarely used in North Korea. The report said the previous destroyer launched at the western shipyard of Nampo, in contrast, used a floating dry dock.
South Korean officials and experts say the Choe Hyon destroyer was likely built with Russian assistance as the two countries’ military partnerships are booming. While North Korea’s naval forces are considered far inferior to those of its rivals, analysts say the destroyer with nuclear-capable missiles and an advanced radar system would still enhance the North’s offensive and defensive capabilities.
Kim has framed the arms buildup as a response to perceived threats from the United States and South Korea, which have been expanding joint military exercises in response to the North’s advancing nuclear program. He says the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine would be his next big step in strengthening the North Korean navy.
Hours after releasing the report on the damaged destroyer, North Korea test-fired multiple cruise missiles from an area about 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Chongjin, according to South Korea’s military. The launches were a continuation of a streak of weapons-testing activities by North Korea in recent years. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were being analyzed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities.

Vietnam says ‘positive progress’ in trade talks with US

Vietnam says ‘positive progress’ in trade talks with US
Updated 21 min 45 sec ago
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Vietnam says ‘positive progress’ in trade talks with US

Vietnam says ‘positive progress’ in trade talks with US
  • The Vietnamese team sought help during its time in the United States from US tech and industry giants, including Lockheed Martin, SpaceX and Google
  • Trump visited the Vietnamese capital in 2019 for his abortive second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

HANOI: Vietnam said on Thursday "positive progress" has been made in trade talks with Washington, as it tries to slash President Donald Trump's threatened 46 percent levy imposed on the country in his global tariff blitz.
The ministry of industry and trade however said both sides have "groups of issues for further discussion" in the coming rounds of talks, with the next scheduled for early June.
The southeast Asian nation has the third-biggest trade surplus with the United States of any country after China and Mexico and is anxious to address the imbalance to head off the tariff threat.
At the end of three days of talks in Washington, both sides had identified matters of common concern "in the spirit of goodwill, frankness... and balance of interests", the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The Vietnamese team sought help during its time in the United States from US tech and industry giants, including Lockheed Martin, SpaceX and Google.
It also signed an agreement with US company Westinghouse Electric on nuclear power development.
President Trump's real estate group on Wednesday broke ground in Vietnam on a $1.5-billion luxury resort and golf course 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of the capital Hanoi.
His son, Eric Trump, an executive vice president of The Trump Organization, and his wife Lara attended the event, as well as local partner the Kinhbac City Development Corporation (KBC).
He is also due to scout locations this week for a potential tower project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's southern business hub.
Trump visited the Vietnamese capital in 2019 for his abortive second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He described Hanoi at the time as an "incredible city", praising Vietnam for "the job they've done -- economic development".


Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 3 dead and 1 missing

Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 3 dead and 1 missing
Updated 51 min 6 sec ago
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Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 3 dead and 1 missing

Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 3 dead and 1 missing
  • More than 500 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney
  • Some New South Wales areas forecast to receive as much as 30 centimeters of rain in the next 24 hours

MELBOURNE: Record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast left three people dead and one missing, officials said Thursday, as more heavy rain was forecast in the area.
More than 500 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in New South Wales state north of Sydney. The area has been hit with heavy rain since Tuesday. The flooding exceeds local records set in 1921 and 1929.
New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns said some areas were forecast to receive as much as 30 centimeters (1 foot) of rain in the next 24 hours. He said 50,000 people were warned to prepare to evacuate or be isolated by floodwaters, telling reporters: “We are bracing for more bad news.”
The body of a 63-year-old man was recovered from a flooded house in Moto in New South Wales on Wednesday afternoon, Fire and Rescue Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said. A coroner will determine whether a pre-existing medical condition played a part in his death, he added.
The body of a man, aged in his 30s, was recovered from floodwaters near Rosewood early Thursday, a police statement said. He had disappeared while attempting to drive through a flooded intersection on Wednesday night.
A 60-year-old woman was found dead on Thursday after her SUV became trapped in floodwaters near Brooklana on Wednesday night. The SUV was found earlier on Thursday, police said.
A 49-year-old man also failed to return home after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida on Wednesday night, police said.
Minns said more than 500 people had been rescued from floodwater in just over two days, many after trying to drive across flooded roads.
Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said 330 flood rescues were conducted in the past 24 hours. Helicopters have been used to rescue people stranded by floodwaters from rooftops and verandahs.
“We’ve seen more rain and more flooding in the mid-to-north coast area than we’ve ever seen before,” Dib said.
The flooding has hit communities including Taree, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbor and Bellingen in New South Wales.
Taree received a month’s rain in 24 hours, an official said.
“Up around the Taree area, we’ve seen communities that have never flooded in recorded history now flooding,” Fewtrell said.
The region has opened 14 evacuation centers as of Thursday.
Government meteorologist Angus Hines said a low-pressure weather system had stalled over the flooded region since Monday, bringing 60 centimeters (2 feet) of rain to some parts.
“If it had only been one day and then it had gone, we would have seen some minor or moderate flooding but it wouldn’t have been too bad. But four days in a row of this amount of rainfall and we see this significant and extensive, widespread and major flood event happening in front of our eyes,” Hines said.
The rain was losing intensity on Thursday, Hines said.


European leaders condemn killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington

European leaders condemn killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington
Updated 22 May 2025
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European leaders condemn killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington

European leaders condemn killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington
  • Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were fatally shot while leaving an event at a Jewish museum

European leaders issued strong condemnations Thursday following the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, denouncing the act as a barbaric expression of anti-Semitic violence.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was “shocked” by the incident, which occurred late Wednesday. “There is no justification for anti-Semitic violence,” he posted on X.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the attack “an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity.” He wrote on X: “The murder of two members of the Israeli embassy near the Jewish Museum in Washington is an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity. Nothing can justify such violence.”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani “forcefully” condemned the shooting, describing it as having caused “scenes of terror and violence.” Posting on X, he warned that “anti-Semitism... must be stopped. The horrors of the past must not return.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also expressed shock, emphasizing that “there is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or anti-Semitism.” She extended her condolences to the victims’ families and to the people of Israel.

 


Netanyahu says he has ordered enhanced security at Israel missions worldwide

Netanyahu says he has ordered enhanced security at Israel missions worldwide
Updated 42 min 36 sec ago
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Netanyahu says he has ordered enhanced security at Israel missions worldwide

Netanyahu says he has ordered enhanced security at Israel missions worldwide
  • The measure came after a gunman who shouted shot dead two embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has ordered enhanced security measures at Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide after a gunman who shouted shot dead two embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington.
“I have instructed to enhance security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and to increase protection for state representatives,” he said.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel.”
Gunfire broke out late Wednesday outside the Capital Jewish Museum in the center of Washington as the venue held a social event for young professionals and diplomatic staff.
A video clip circulating on social media showed a young bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away by police.
The victims were a young couple who planned to get married, according to the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the fatal attack but said the two countries would “stand united in defense of our people.”
“This is a despicable act of hatred, of anti-Semitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy,” Herzog said.
“America and Israel will stand united in defense of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar too pledged that Israel would not give into “terror,” saying he was “horrified” by the attack.
“Israeli representatives around the world are constantly exposed to heightened risk — especially in these times,” he said.
“We are in close contact with American authorities. Israel will not surrender to terror.”