AOTR Elevates the Ojeda-Montoya/Zapata Family

🚨 AOTR URGENT ALERT: Authors of the Resistance Elevate the Ojeda-Montoya/Zapata family and their one and a half year old daughter. Authors of the Resistance Elevate the Fight Against Aggressive ICE Tactics in Fitchburg, MA

We stand with Carlos Zapata, 24, who suffered an apparent seizure while holding his wife and crying toddler during a violent federal immigration arrest in Fitchburg, MA, on Thursday, November 6th.

TRAFFIC STOP TURNED VIOLENT: Zapata was driving his wife, Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, and their 18-month-old daughter, when they were aggressively surrounded by ICE officers. Zapata reportedly told a newspaper that he lost consciousness after agents pushed and hit him and pressed on his neck as he shielded his family.

THE INCIDENT:

Agents initiated a high-stress, chaotic traffic stop involving a toddler.

Zapata experienced what witnesses shouted was a seizure while agents reached into the car.

Homeland Security officials publicly accused Zapata of faking the medical emergency.

PATTERN OF IMPUNITY: This confrontation reflects a culture where federal agents use excessive force—even against non-targets and in the presence of children—and then publicly deny and mock the resulting trauma. Zapata’s desperate words highlight the resistance: "I wasn’t letting go of my wife because they wanted to take her away."

CALL TO ACTION: Our communities deserve safety and respect. We demand accountability for the aggressive tactics used against the Zapata family and an end to dangerous, unchecked federal operations that prioritize force over human dignity.

Defend your neighbors. Support the families under attack. We take care of each other.

#JusticeForZapata #ICEAccountability #ProtectOurChildren #NoImpunity #fitchburgma