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5-year-old held by ICE agents outside home during father's arrest

Sep 16, 2025·Location: Leominster, MA

Country of origin: Guatemala

5-year-old held by ICE agents outside home during father's arrest
Photo via Instagram

A 5-year-old U.S. citizen girl with autism was surrounded by ICE agents outside her family's home in Leominster, Massachusetts, while agents attempted to arrest her father, Edwards Hip Mejia, a Guatemalan national who had lived in the U.S. for more than two decades. Video showed the girl sitting in the driveway near an SUV as agents asked her father, who had fled into the house, to come outside. Her family and attorney said ICE used the child to pressure Hip Mejia into surrendering, while DHS said he abandoned his daughter in a car while fleeing agents after a traffic stop. Local police responded, and the girl was taken to a police station before being reunited with her grandmother after about three hours. Hip Mejia was detained by ICE two days later and is currently held at a detention center in Plymouth; his attorney said prior domestic-abuse charges cited by DHS had been dismissed, and a judge later granted him bond.

Timeline

Sep 16, 2025—Hip Mejia was detained by ICE and taken to a detention center in Plymouth; his attorney said prior domestic-abuse charges had been dismissed.
Sep 16, 2025—A judge later granted Hip Mejia bond.
Sep 14, 2025—ICE agents attempted to arrest Edwards Hip Mejia outside his Leominster, Massachusetts home, holding his 5-year-old autistic daughter outside during the encounter after he fled inside.
Sep 14, 2025—Local police responded, recovered the girl, and reunited her with her grandmother after about three hours.
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