ICE responds after agents take baby from man appearing to have seizure
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has responded after a video shared widely on social media showed agents taking a baby from a man who appeared to have a seizure during enforcement action.
The clip, taken in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, showed agents trying to get the child from the man in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, while a woman in the passenger seat—the target for ICE agents—was detained.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told Newsweek that the man had “purported to have had a medical episode” but had refused treatment.
Why It Matters
The clip is another snapshot of federal immigration enforcement action showing tense standoffs between community members, agents, and their targets, as ICE comes under increasing scrutiny over the tactics being used to tackle illegal immigration. DHS has insisted that its agents are coming under attack and that videos from operations are often taken out of context.
What To Know
The incident unfolded on Kimball Street in Fitchburg on Thursday morning, at around 7:10 a.m. ET, with federal agents looking to detain Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, an Ecuadoran national, McLaughlin said.
As has happened with other ICE operations in recent weeks, the community responded, opening their front doors to find the agents confronting the woman, a man, and their small child.
Neighbors gathered around the vehicle, seeking to block agents, while some reportedly shouted at the agents. The Fitchburg Police Department said in a statement that officers were sent to the scene to keep the peace.
As the confrontation unfolded, and agents tried to take Ojeda-Montoya, she thrust the baby at the man, later named by DHS as Carlos Zapata Rivera, who could then be seen apparently having a seizure while agents sought to pry the child out of his grasp.
Shortly after, Ojeda-Montoya was arrested, while Zapata Rivera and the baby left the scene, police said. McLaughlin told Newsweek that, despite medical personnel being called, the man refused treatment. DHS also alleged he was also an illegal immigrant from Ecuador.
The Ecuadoran woman was released into the U.S. during the Biden administration, the assistant secretary said, in 2023. In August, she was arrested for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after allegedly stabbing her co-worker twice with a pair of scissors before throwing a trash can at her.
Newsweek understands the incident took place in nearby Leominster on August 1, 2025. The Leominster Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What People Are Saying
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, told Newsweek in a statement: “During ICE’s targeted vehicle stop of Ojeda-Montoya, her child and husband were in the car. The target threw the child into the arms of her husband while he purported to have a medical episode, though refused medical help and displayed absolutely no signs of medical concerns just moments later. Agitators attempted to impede the arrest. Fitchburg police responded to the scene to help with crowd control.”
Steven Giannini, Fitchburg Police chief, in a statement Thursday: “Keeping the peace includes making sure both the public as a whole as well as the federal law enforcement agents are safe. The Fitchburg Police Department does not enforce federal immigration laws, nor do we interfere with the lawful actions of other law enforcement agencies. Once it was determined that the agents were in no danger, all members of the Fitchburg Police Department cleared the scene.”
House Homeland Security Committee Democrats, on X: “DHS will lie. They always do. BUT LOOK WITH YOUR EYES!! Is this right? the WORST OF THE WORST?? Absolutely not. And shame on anyone who says otherwise.”
What’s Next
Ojeda-Montoya remains in ICE custody at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine.
