A Connecticut woman who was detained by federal immigration agents in front of her two young children last year has filed suit against the federal government, alleging the arrest violated legal requirements and left her kids without a confirmed caretaker.
What Happened
Nancy Martinez, a New Haven resident who had lived in the city for 15 years, was arrested by ICE agents on June 9, 2025, while dropping her children off at school. According to the legal complaint, agents in unmarked vehicles — masked and armed — surrounded Martinez and her children. When they identified themselves, they told Martinez they were “with the police,” without specifying they were immigration agents.
Martinez was pulled from her vehicle and handcuffed. No warrant was presented, according to the lawsuit. The entire detainment lasted under four minutes. ICE agents failed to confirm that her children — a son, age 8, and a daughter, age 13 — had a caretaker before taking their mother, which the complaint alleges violated a legal requirement protecting minors in such situations.
Martinez was subsequently transferred through multiple detention facilities before being deported to Mexico approximately one month after her arrest. She is currently living in Mexico City.
The Lawsuit
The suit was filed on behalf of Martinez and her children by attorneys with Yale Law School’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic. The lawsuit was announced Monday at a press conference attended by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who voiced support for the Martinez family.
Martinez described the moment of her arrest in a statement: “In the back of the ICE car, handcuffed and surrounded by agents, I had my first ever panic attack.”
Senator Blumenthal called on the federal government to be held accountable, saying, “Words are fine, but action is necessary. All of us have an obligation to recognize that we must act to make our federal government follow the law.”
Broader Context
The Martinez case is one of several high-profile ICE enforcement actions in Connecticut that have drawn legal and political scrutiny. Protests outside Hartford federal courthouse have intensified as friction over ICE enforcement in the state has grown, and Connecticut officials previously rallied around an Afghan interpreter’s son detained by ICE in Cheshire, reflecting the state’s ongoing tensions over federal immigration enforcement priorities.
Nationally, civil liberties organizations and immigration attorneys have raised concerns about enforcement operations that occur in public spaces, particularly when minor children are present. Legal standards generally require agents to account for the safety and care of children at the scene of a parent’s arrest, and the Martinez complaint centers substantially on the alleged failure to meet that requirement.
What’s Next
The lawsuit now proceeds in federal court. Martinez remains in Mexico City, and the outcome of the litigation could affect how ICE conducts enforcement operations involving parents of minor children in Connecticut and potentially set precedent for similar cases elsewhere. No trial date has been announced.