A Massachusetts family is accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement of an extraordinary abuse of power: using their 5-year-old autistic daughter to pressure her father into surrendering.
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Video obtained by Telemundo and reviewed by NBC Boston shows the girl seated beside a vehicle outside the family’s Leominster home while federal agents stand nearby. Family members can be heard screaming in the footage as they rush to recover the child. Local police reportedly intervened, and two days later, the father—identified as Edward Hip—was arrested.
ICE has not publicly explained the incident. Reporters who reached out to the agency have not yet received a full response. That leaves the family’s allegations, supported by the footage, as the primary account of what happened.
Civil rights groups are calling the case shocking and demanding investigation. Advocates argue that if true, the incident exposes a tactic that violates both child welfare and constitutional protections.
This story is still developing. What is clear: a child was separated from her family in an ICE operation, and the public deserves answers about why.
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