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U.S. citizen detained three times by ICE despite showing citizenship documents, sues agency

May 2, 2026 · Silverhill, AL, Mexico

U.S. citizen detained three times by ICE despite showing citizenship documents, sues agency

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a 26-year-old Florida-born U.S. citizen whose parents are from Mexico, was detained by ICE and local police three separate times between May 2025 and May 2026. In his first detention in May 2025, officers raided a coastal Alabama construction site where Garcia Venegas was working, forced him to the ground, and held him for over an hour despite him repeatedly stating he was a citizen and showing his ID. Weeks later, he was detained again at a home he was building when an officer refused to accept his Alabama REAL ID as proof of citizenship. On May 2, 2026, officers approached him while he was parking at home in Silverhill, Alabama, pulled him from his truck, shackled him, and held him for several minutes despite his attempts to show his Alabama STAR ID and offer to retrieve his American passport; officers stated he was stopped because his truck was registered to his undocumented brother. Videos of the first two incidents went viral, and Garcia Venegas appeared before Congress. In each instance, he was eventually released after proving his citizenship. Garcia Venegas filed a federal lawsuit challenging ICE's authority to raid private construction sites without warrants and detain workers without reasonable suspicion, claiming violations of Fourth Amendment rights. He told media outlets the repeated detentions have caused him stress and depression, and he now lives in constant fear, unable to go about his daily life freely.

Timeline

Sep 2026Garcia Venegas files federal lawsuit against ICE challenging agency's authority to raid private construction sites without warrants and detain workers without reasonable suspicion, citing Fourth Amendment violations
May 2, 2026Garcia Venegas detained for third time at his home in Silverhill, Alabama after officers pulled him from his truck and shackled him; officers cited truck being registered to his undocumented brother; eventually released after proving citizenship
May 2, 2026Videos of first two detentions go viral; Garcia Venegas appears before Congress
Jun 2025Garcia Venegas detained again at a home he was building when officer refused to accept his REAL ID as proof of citizenship; eventually released
May 2025Leonardo Garcia Venegas detained during ICE raid on coastal Alabama construction site; forced to ground and held for over an hour despite showing ID; eventually released after proving citizenship

Sources

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