A disturbing video from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, shows a man appearing to fall unconscious during an ICE arrest while holding a small child in his arms. In the video, a woman pleads for help, shouting that he is having a seizure, while ICE agents attempt to pull her and the child from the car. The child can be heard crying, and the crowd around the vehicle becomes visibly distressed.

The man in the video, Carlos Sebastian Zapata, later said he collapsed from fear that ICE agents would take away his wife, Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, who was the target of the arrest. ICE officials have since accused Zapata of faking a medical emergency. DHS posted on social media, “Imagine FAKING a seizure to help a criminal escape justice.”

Regardless of the medical claims, the scene captured in the video raises serious questions about ICE’s use of force, the treatment of families during arrests, and the transparency of federal enforcement actions.

We are calling on the Department of Homeland Security and the House Judiciary Committee to:

• Launch a full, independent investigation into the ICE arrest in Fitchburg, including all available body camera footage and agent reports
• Review the medical response and use-of-force protocols used during the incident
• Examine whether DHS officials violated due process or spread misinformation online
• Establish clearer guidelines to prevent family-traumatizing arrest tactics in the future

This is not the first recent ICE operation to raise red flags. But it must be the last one to go unanswered. People deserve truth, accountability, and enforcement policies that reflect basic human rights.

Sign this petition if you believe what happened in Fitchburg demands answers and action.

Photo Credit: The Boston Globe