NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WFSB) - A woman who was arrested by ICE agents in front of her children in New Haven has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court.Nancy Martinez filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of herself and her children. She has been away from them for a year, ever since she was taken into ICE custody and eventually deported to Mexico.Martinez spoke from Mexico via Zoom through an interpreter Monday, explaining what happened from her point of view.“One of the men in a cap and black mask opened my car door,” Martinez said through a translator. “Fearful for myself and my children I stepped out. Immediately the man turned me around and placed me in tight handcuffs.”Her daughter, Monse, also shared her perspective after watching her mother speak.“When they took my mom away they didn’t tell us what was going on,” Monse said. “They just did what they did. Leaving two kids behind on the sidewalk without stopping to make sure that someone was there, who could take care of us. It should never have happened that way.”The lawsuit seeks a legal remedy or relief for the trauma suffered by Martinez and her children stemming from the detainment.Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.