A Chelsea mother who is a lawful permanent resident has sued the United States in federal court in Boston. She says ICE officers dragged her from her car outside Chelsea District Court, slammed her face-first onto the sidewalk and handcuffed her, then let her go only after Chelsea police asked them to check her identification. Hilda Ramirez Sanan filed the lawsuit on October 28, 2026, with her two U.S.-citizen children, under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The suit says the encounter happened on September 26, 2025. These are allegations in a complaint; the government has not yet responded in court, and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment, MassLive reported.
The case is Ramirez Sanan v. United States, No. 1:26-cv-14864 (D. Mass.). Here is what the complaint alleges, what the family is asking for, and how a lawsuit against federal officers for assault works under the FTCA.
What the complaint alleges
- The stop. At about 8:30 a.m., the family was driving one of Ramirez Sanan’s brothers-in-law to a 9 a.m. hearing at Chelsea District Court, according to the complaint. Another brother-in-law was driving and Ramirez Sanan sat in the back. Four unmarked vehicles boxed in the car, and at least eight armed officers in hats, masks and sunglasses surrounded it, the complaint says. It says none identified themselves, though some wore vests marked “Police.”
- The windows and the gun. The complaint says officers used a sharp tool to shatter the front and back driver-side windows without asking questions or giving orders, that glass hit Ramirez Sanan, and that one officer pointed a gun at the driver while others pulled him from the car. Both brothers-in-law were handcuffed and taken away. The complaint identifies them only by initials and does not say why ICE arrested them.
- The arrest of Ramirez Sanan. According to the complaint, officers took her phone, which she was using to record, pulled her across the back seat, pushed her face-first into a fence and handcuffed her while she cried out that she had legal status and back pain. It says one officer kicked her leg and three officers “slammed” her face down onto the concrete sidewalk, and that she briefly lost consciousness. Her identification was in the purse she was wearing, and the complaint says no officer asked for it.
- Her son. Her son, identified as J.R.S., was 13 at the time. The complaint says he has autism and limited verbal communication skills, and that a disability placard hung from the rearview mirror. It says an officer pulled him from the car, held him at the fence, asked whether he had legal status, and threatened to arrest him if he did not answer or show proof. He is a U.S. citizen.
- Her daughter. Michelle Ramirez Sanan, then 17, was waiting at the courthouse and ran to the scene. The complaint says an officer pushed her back and held her wrists for three to five minutes, and told her to “shut up” when she said her brother has autism. She is also a U.S. citizen. She described the encounter at a congressional forum in March 2026, MassLive reported.
- The release. As officers dragged Ramirez Sanan toward one of their vehicles, Chelsea police and firefighters arrived and asked the officers to check her identification, the complaint says. The officers then confirmed she was a lawful permanent resident, released her and left with the two brothers-in-law. The complaint says the encounter lasted about half an hour and that firefighters had to carry her to a chair because she could not walk.
- Injuries. The complaint says she was taken to a hospital, where she had a CT scan of her head and spine, that doctors found a likely radial nerve injury and referred her to a hand surgeon, and that they noted she may have had a concussion.
The family’s lawyers, Lawyers for Civil Rights and Zimmer, Citron & Clarke, have posted bystander videos of the encounter. “My family lives every day with the consequences of what ICE did to our family,” Ramirez Sanan said in a statement released through her lawyers, as reported by MassLive, WCVB and Fall River Reporter.
What the family is asking for
The complaint brings eight counts against the United States, each under the FTCA: false imprisonment, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligent supervision on behalf of all three plaintiffs, plus trespass to chattels and conversion over the damage to Ramirez Sanan’s car and the taking of her phone. It asks for compensatory damages “in an amount to be proven at trial,” attorneys’ fees and costs “as allowable by law,” and other relief. The complaint also says the officers violated 8 U.S.C. § 1357(a)(2), which allows a warrantless immigration arrest only when an officer has “reason to believe” the person is in the country unlawfully and “is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained,” and 8 C.F.R. § 287.8, the federal regulation that requires officers to identify themselves and use “the minimum non-deadly force necessary.”
How the Federal Tort Claims Act works
- Who is sued. Under the FTCA the defendant is the United States, not the individual officers. Federal courts hear claims for injury “caused by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of any employee of the Government while acting within the scope of his office or employment,” where a private person would be liable “in accordance with the law of the place where the act or omission occurred,” 28 U.S.C. § 1346(b)(1). Massachusetts tort law therefore supplies the rules for the assault, battery and other claims.
- The six-month claim first. No FTCA suit can be filed until the claim is first presented to the agency. If the agency does not make “final disposition of a claim within six months after it is filed,” the claimant may treat that as a denial and sue, 28 U.S.C. § 2675(a). The complaint says the family filed its administrative claim with DHS and ICE on December 15, 2025, and the government did not decide it within six months. Under § 2675(b), the suit generally cannot seek more than the amount claimed with the agency.
- Assault and battery by law enforcement. The FTCA usually excludes claims for assault, battery and false imprisonment, 28 U.S.C. § 2680(h). But a proviso in the same subsection allows those claims when they arise from the “acts or omissions of investigative or law enforcement officers,” meaning officers “empowered by law to execute searches, to seize evidence, or to make arrests for violations of Federal law.” In Millbrook v. United States, 569 U.S. 50 (2013), the Supreme Court held that the proviso “extends to acts or omissions of law enforcement officers that arise within the scope of their employment, regardless of whether the officers are engaged in investigative or law enforcement activity.”
- The discretionary-function exception. The government can also argue that a claim is barred by 28 U.S.C. § 2680(a), which excludes claims based on the exercise of “a discretionary function or duty.” Whether that exception applies is one of the issues courts decide in FTCA cases against law enforcement.
- No jury. FTCA tort cases against the United States are “tried by the court without a jury,” 28 U.S.C. § 2402. A federal judge, not a jury, would decide liability and damages.
- A cap on lawyers’ fees. Lawyers may not take more than 25 percent of a judgment or of a settlement after suit is filed, or 20 percent of an administrative settlement, 28 U.S.C. § 2678.
What happens next
The United States has to be served before it must respond. The complaint was filed and the filing fee paid on October 28, according to the court docket. MassLive reported that the case was assigned to Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal and that a summons had issued.
Frequently asked questions
Can you sue ICE for assault in Massachusetts?
Claims against ICE officers for assault, battery or false imprisonment are usually brought against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The claim must first be filed with the agency; if the agency does not decide it within six months, the claimant can sue in federal court, 28 U.S.C. § 2675(a). Massachusetts tort law governs the claims, and a federal judge decides the case without a jury.
Who is Hilda Ramirez Sanan?
A Chelsea mother and lawful permanent resident who, with her two U.S.-citizen children, sued the United States on October 28, 2026. Her complaint alleges ICE officers assaulted and detained her outside Chelsea District Court on September 26, 2025, then released her after Chelsea police asked them to check her ID.
Has ICE responded to the lawsuit?
Not yet in court. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on October 28, MassLive reported.
Sources: Complaint, Ramirez Sanan v. United States, No. 1:26-cv-14864 (D. Mass. filed Oct. 28, 2026), read in full, and the court docket; MassLive, WCVB and Fall River Reporter, October 28, 2026. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1346(b), 2402, 2675, 2678 and 2680 read at Cornell’s Legal Information Institute; Millbrook v. United States, 569 U.S. 50 (2013), read on CourtListener. These are allegations; no court has made any finding. General information, not legal advice.