HOUSTON: Leo Garcia Venegas was working at an Alabama construction site when two immigration agents wrestled him to the ground despite his protests of citizenship.
The agents handcuffed and detained him for an hour without offering any apology after dismissing his Alabama-issued Real ID as fake according to his legal representatives.
Janae Wilkerson from the Institute for Justice highlighted that officers conducted the arrest without a warrant or evidence of any lawbreaking.
Garcia Venegas experienced a second similar detention in June when an immigration agent entered through a garage while he worked with headphones on.
His legal team argues that Department of Homeland Security policies permitting arrests based solely on suspected undocumented status violate constitutional protections against unreasonable seizures.
“They arrested me twice for being Latino for working in construction” said Garcia Venegas who was born in Florida to Mexican parents.
The 25-year-old now lives in constant fear of repeated workplace detentions despite his confirmed US citizenship status.
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has empowered ICE agents to conduct armed masked operations targeting undocumented individuals.
These aggressive tactics have drawn widespread criticism including from Pope Leo XIV who condemned the inhumane treatment of migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Garcia Venegas initially interfered with the lawful arrest of another individual during the May incident.
Federal agents have intensified construction site raids across Alabama throughout this year according to Institute for Justice documentation.
Institute for Justice spokesman Andrew Wimer confirmed plans to seek a preliminary injunction against warrantless raids on private Alabama construction sites.
In a separate California case 79-year-old naturalized citizen Rafie Ollah Shouhed is suing for 50 million dollars after suffering fractured ribs during an immigration raid.
Border patrol agents in California also attempted to handcuff 29-year-old Latino American Jason Brian Gavidia while questioning his birthplace credentials.
Gavidia told The New York Times that Latino communities feel universally targeted by these immigration enforcement actions.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin maintains that ICE does not intentionally arrest or deport United States citizens.
She attributed any citizen arrests to obstruction or assault against law enforcement personnel during operations. – AFP