Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested an undocumented worker suspected of drunk driving. However, according to his family, the man doesn’t know how to drive, doesn’t own a car, and exclusively travels by bicycle.
The incident occurred on May 30 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, at the workplace of the gardener—whose identity has not been made public—according to information reported by local media outlet The Berkshire Edge and later covered by Newsweek.
Federal agents, their faces covered with masks, apprehended the man on Maple Avenue while he was maintaining a property. The scene was recorded and partially broadcast in the media. Linda Shafiroff and Sarah Stiner, co-owners of Creative Building Solutions, located on the premises, attempted to intervene during the arrest, although the gardener was not directly their employee.
According to Stiner, a tinted-window SUV had been parked in their private lot several hours before the gardener’s arrival. Shortly after, other vehicles filled with agents arrived as backup. Shafiroff, who arrived during the arrest, confronted the agents: “We don’t need to show you our identification,” one of them responded. She countered: “Then how do we know you’re federal agents?” The agent simply replied: “Contact local law enforcement.”
In the video, Shafiroff comments on the scene: “This man is struggling to get into the vehicle. They’re forcing him in with his hands behind his back, and all they’re saying is they’re looking for a drunk driver.”
However, according to a family member quoted by The Berkshire Edge, the man doesn’t own a vehicle and has never learned to drive. His only means of transportation is a bicycle.
When contacted by CNN, ICE confirmed that the agents visible in the video were indeed federal law enforcement officers. The agency clarified that the apprehended individual is “a Colombian citizen who violated the terms of his release by failing to report to immigration authorities.”
Since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025, his administration has reinstated an aggressive immigration policy aimed at deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, stated on Fox News that the goal was to achieve “a minimum of 3,000 arrests per day” by ICE—a figure that could increase further. This quota has significant implications for immigrant communities. Several cases of arrests, and even deportations, of legal migrants with no criminal records have been reported, solely to meet the administration’s arrest targets.
However, this intensification has raised numerous concerns. Critics accuse the Trump administration of violating fundamental rights, circumventing judicial decisions, and conducting arbitrary arrests.
Linda Shafiroff told The Berkshire Edge: “What shocked me the most was the level of intimidation. They were covered from head to toe, with no identifiers. That’s not how police officers behave. Police officers respect citizens and know we have rights. These guys looked like thugs.”
Meanwhile, Patricia Hyde, Acting Director of ICE’s Boston field office, defended her teams’ actions in a statement:”The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is safer today thanks to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of ICE and our federal partners.”
She further stated: “Make no mistake: while all those arrested were immigration law violators, the majority had significant criminal histories. These are criminals who have created innocent victims and traumatized entire communities—murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, sexual predators, and members of transnational criminal gangs.”
As of now, the family of the apprehended man claims they have not received any updates about his whereabouts. The case remains shrouded in uncertainty, particularly regarding the exact nature of the suspicions that led to his arrest.
Primary source: Newsweek, article by Khaleda Rahman, published June 3, 2025.
