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DACA recipient Jose Valdovinos detained after Yuma traffic stop; agents refused to explain why

Aug 13, 2025 · Yuma, AZ, Mexico

Jose Valdovinos, a 27-year-old DACA recipient who has lived in Arizona since he was a toddler, was detained by Border Patrol on August 10, 2025, after he and his wife, U.S. citizen Jitzell Flores, left a Circle K gas station near downtown Yuma. When Flores asked why he was being taken, an agent said, 'We don't have to give it to you.' Valdovinos, who works packaging Medjool dates at Datepac, has no criminal record, pays taxes, renewed his DACA status every two years, and was pursuing permanent residency. DHS said the vehicle was stopped for 'driving in a suspicious manner' and stated that 'DACA does not confer any form of legal status.' Flores called the stop racial profiling. The Mexican Consulate visited him and connected his family with an attorney before his transfer to the Florence Service Processing Center. Weeks later, he was released with an ankle monitor.

Timeline

Aug 13, 2025DHS said the vehicle was stopped for 'driving in a suspicious manner' and that Valdovinos would remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings; Mexican Consulate visited him and connected his family with an attorney before his transfer to the Florence Service Processing Center
Aug 12, 2025Family spoke publicly; wife Jitzell Flores said agents told them DACA is no longer considered legal status and called the stop racial profiling
Aug 10, 2025Detained by Border Patrol after being pulled over leaving a Circle K gas station near downtown Yuma; agent declined to give a reason for the stop

Sources

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