LYNDEN, Wash. — Vidal Palomar was driving to a physical therapy appointment through an intersection in a quiet farming town when immigration agents pulled him over and arrested him, according to his family. Eight days later, they still have not seen him.
The 44-year-old father of three, who walks with a cane due to a work-related disability, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on June 24 in what his attorney describes as a case of mistaken identity.
Eyewitness Facebook video shows Palomar on the hood of his vehicle as he is taken into custody, according to his cousin Vanessa Perez.
She said officers threw him to the ground twice despite his disabled parking placard being clearly visible.
"It was a brutal thing," Perez said. "Honestly it breaks my heart. It really does."
Palomar, who came to Whatcom County 12 years ago to escape cartel violence in Mexico, chose Lynden specifically for its reputation as a safe community. His family describes him as a devoted husband and father who has never been arrested or even pulled over for a traffic violation.
"He is the sweetest guy," Perez said.
During the detention, Palomar repeatedly asked to see a warrant, according to his family. When agents eventually produced documentation, it contained a photograph of someone else, Perez said.
"They wouldn't show him one. He kept asking until they showed him a paper, but on this paper it wasn't his photo," she said.
Eric Lin, Palomar's attorney, characterized the arrest as part of a troubling pattern. "He's another one of these warrantless arrests that we've seen across these communities," Lin said during a video call.
KING 5 News confirmed that Palomar has no criminal history. According to his family, ICE agents offered him $1,000 to admit guilt and agree to leave the country voluntarily, but he refused.
While Palomar is in the country without the proper documentation, others in his family are documented. They are now living in fear about what might happen next.
"Quote unquote, they're supposed to take the criminals," Perez said. "It's just not right that they're picking up people who don't have criminal records."
The arrest has sent ripples of anxiety through the Latino community in Whatcom County, where many residents work in the area's agricultural industry.
"It's a fear that if I'm driving and they see that I'm brown they can take me too," Perez said.
The family that came to this rural community seeking safety from violence now finds itself confronting a different kind of uncertainty. Palomar's relatives said they are working to get him before an immigration judge as soon as possible, though they have no timeline for when that might happen.
ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the arrest or the family's allegations.