BROWNSVILLE, TX — A Latino civil rights organization is taking a first step toward a civil lawsuit and asking the federal government to pay damages of $2.5 million each to three United States citizens who were allegedly assaulted, unlawfully arrested, and detained by federal immigration agents.
MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) represents sisters Sorayda Noyola, age 31, and Claudia Noyola, age 19, and their minor sibling K.N., in claims submitted last week to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). The FTCA administrative claim is the first step in preparing to sue the federal government for wrongful acts committed by government employees in the course of their duties.
In the Noyola family’s FTCA administrative claims, attorneys allege that agents unlawfully assaulted, restrained and detained the Noyola siblings without legal justification, causing physical and emotional harm. The claim further alleges that federal agents attempted to use K.N. as “bait” by holding K.N. outside of K.N.’s home in an attempt to lure K.N.’s mother into the street to investigate her immigration status (the siblings’ mother is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.). The FTCA administrative claim is a required step that the siblings must take before filing a lawsuit against DHS.
“Here, federal agents engaged in plainly unlawful conduct, apparently in the vain hope that these young citizens could be intimidated and would not pursue their rights,” said Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel. “These FTCA claims are a warning to agents not to engage in intimidation tactics; you will be held accountable.”
On the morning of July 23, 2025, the Noyola siblings noticed masked ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents conducting a raid at a construction site near their mother’s neighborhood in Brownsville, Texas. Concerned about the operation, the siblings parked nearby and Sorayda Noyola began recording the agents on her cell phone to document the raid and inform others of their rights. As the siblings approached along the sidewalk, an agent confronted Sorayda, grabbed her arm, and attempted to take her phone. Despite Sorayda stepping back and explaining that the agent had no reason to touch her, additional agents surrounded the siblings. Another agent demanded all of their phones, then the agents tackled the siblings to the ground, handcuffed them, and arrested them.
According to the FTCA administrative claims, the siblings were then put into separate vehicles and taken away from the scene. The federal agents drove K.N. to his mother’s house, asked K.N. if their mother was “illegal” then held K.N. outside the fence of his home and threatened to take K.N. into federal custody while demanding that K.N.’s mother produce identification. Federal agents took Sorayda and Claudia to the ICE Field Office in Harlingen, TX and continued to detain them for hours. The agents confiscated Sorayda’s and Claudia’s cell phones and never returned the phones. Throughout the arrests and detentions, the siblings experienced physical pain, emotional distress, and a profound sense of fear, despite committing no crime and being U.S. citizens, attorneys say.
“The First Amendment protects the right of bystanders to record police activities,” said Nina Perales, MALDEF vice president of litigation. “Federal agents violated the constitutional rights of the Noyola family by assaulting and arresting Sorayda and her siblings just for taking videos.”
The FTCA claim seeks $2,500,000 for each sibling for personal injury and $2,000 each for the loss of Sorayda’s and Claudia’s cell phones.
“No one should be punished for documenting a reality that deserves to be seen,” said Sorayda Noyola. “As a Latina, I stand rooted in resilience and carry the strength of my community with me. I refuse to be silenced and will not be intimidated for standing in truth. This is bigger than me, it's about protecting our freedom and pushing our society towards justice and humanity.”
These are the second, third and fourth FTCA administrative claims MALDEF has sent to the Department of Homeland Security in the past year. In July 2025, MALDEF filed a similar claim seeking $1 million in damages on behalf of Job Garcia, a U.S. citizen who was allegedly assaulted and unlawfully detained by federal immigration officers outside a Home Depot in the Los Angeles area.
Read the FTCA administrative claims HERE. (Sorayda, Claudia, Minor)