US citizen detained by ICE in Florida released amid immigration crackdown
An American citizen detained at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was released after being charged as an 'unauthorized alien' during his arrest in Florida.
Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday by Florida Highway Patrol. He was traveling to Tallahassee to complete a construction job when he was arrested by state officials. Law enforcement officers cited a new state law that prohibits individuals from knowingly entering or attempting to enter Florida after entering the United States by 'eluding' or 'avoiding examination' or inspection by immigration officers.
However, Lopez-Gomez's mother proved he was a U.S.-born citizen by providing his birth certificate to a state judge.
'In looking at it, and feeling it, and holding it up to the light, the court can clearly see the watermark to show that this is indeed an authentic document,' Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans said after being presented with the document, according to the Florida Phoenix.
Riggans then ruled there was no probable cause to uphold the charge against Lopez-Gomez but added that she did not have the authority to release him because ICE asked Leon County Jail to hold Lopez-Gomez.
However, he was eventually released after spending Wednesday night in detainment.
'He is free!! Thank you to everyone who shared, call and did anything to help secure his release,' Thomas Kennedy of the Florida Immigrant Coalition wrote Thursday in a post on the social platform X that featured a picture of Lopez-Gomez with family.
ICE did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment regarding his release.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donald Trump Deployed The National Guard To Combat Deportation Protesters In LA — Here Are Some Of The Truly Unbelievable Photos Taken This Weekend
All eyes were on Los Angeles this weekend as law enforcement escalated their response to anti-deportation and anti-ICE protests. There have been seemingly unending recent reports of ICE presence at places like schools and workplaces in Los Angeles County, home to the United States' second-largest city and an estimated 951,000 undocumented residents (about 10% of its population). Against the wishes of state and local officials, namely Governor Gavin Newsom, President Donald Trump deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops to control the protests. Here are some photos that document the ongoing clash. Note: Some images contain depictions of police violence. in riot gear with Los Angeles City Hall looming in the background through a cloud of tear gas: with their hands up on the 101 Freeway in downtown LA... 3.... the officers facing them: a wider look at a scene on the 101: a close-up of one of the confrontations there: some point, police started blocking the entrance to the freeway: Related: "Honestly Speechless At How Evil This Is": 26 Brutal, Brutal, Brutal Political Tweets Of The Week flipping on their skateboard with utter chaos in the background: is one of the many times an officer fired a rubber bullet from a "non-lethal" weapon: one where an officer hit a protester in the head with a rubber bullet and then refused to call an ambulance: here's the moment Australian news correspondent Lauren Tomasi was targeted and shot in the leg with a rubber bullet: Related: AOC's Viral Response About A Potential Presidential Run Has Everyone Watching, And I'm Honestly Living For It militarized stand-off in front of LA's Metropolitan Detention Center: masked officer ready to aim and fire from above: barrier AND a line of riot shields: 15.A small glimpse at just how many people showed up to protest in downtown LA: of the Waymo cars targeted for vandalizing: Waymo vehicles may have been targeted because they are constantly recording from several angles and can be used to assist police with surveillance. some people waving flags as the self-driving cars burn around them: woman smashing a car window: constantly documenting the detainments of fellow protesters: on horseback creating some tense encounters: this moment where horse-mounted LAPD officers knocked down and confronted a protester with batons on the freeway: born-and-raised Angeleno asking if ICE is planning to deport him "back to the hood": 23.A protester being hauled away in the fetal position: finally, these poetically-framed shots of officers in tactical gear carrying a detainee down the freeway... lining up in front of a political mural outside a famed contemporary art museum in downtown LA: Also in In the News: Republicans Are Calling Tim Walz "Tampon Tim," And The Backlash From Women Is Too Good Not To Share Also in In the News: JD Vance Shared The Most Bizarre Tweet Of Him Serving "Food" As Donald Trump's Housewife Also in In the News: A NSFW Float Depicting Donald Trump's "MAGA" Penis Was Just Paraded Around Germany, And It'
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mass. labor groups rally against ICE arrest of California union leader
BOSTON — Unrest in California spurred by federal immigration enforcement raids has reached the East Coast, where hundreds of protesters gathered Monday in solidarity with their counterparts on the other side of the country. At a peaceful rally in front of Boston City Hall, members of SEIU and other unions condemned the Friday arrest of David Huerta, president of SEIU California, in Los Angeles. Huerta had been attending a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at a number of work sites in the area, which led to more than 100 arrests. 'Arresting a lawful resident without any due process should chill every American to the bone. It's a dangerous precedent,' said Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch. 'If David Huerta can be arrested for exercising his rights, who's next? Which one of us is next? Where does it end?' Huerta was one of at least 44 protesters to be arrested in California Friday. The following day, violent confrontations broke out between federal authorities and protesters, with law enforcement using tear gas and rubber bullets and protesters setting cars on fire. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard, despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also threatened to mobilize active duty Marines, a threat he followed through with Monday afternoon, sending 700 Marines to Los Angeles, according to ABC News. 'Trump's threats to deploy the military against civilians on U.S. soil is illegal, unnecessary, unjust,' said ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose at the rally, which took place before the news that the Marines were being sent to Los Angeles broke. 'No matter how much firepower the federal government threatens to wield, it will never be a match for people power,' Rose added. 'Democracy is not just a piece of paper. Democracy is workers and ordinary people showing up to protect one another and defend our collective rights, including the right to protest and dissent.' Barbara Roy of Marblehead attended the rally in Boston with her friend and neighbor, Mary Chalifour. Roy said she went to her first protest three months ago because of how upset she was by the actions of the Trump administration. Roy carried a sign bearing a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' She said 'justice' was what brought her to Monday's rally. 'Justice isn't being served,' she said. Boston has had its own confrontations with the Trump administration over its immigration policies. Mayor Michelle Wu was called to testify before Congress in March about the city's status as a so-called 'sanctuary city,' meaning local law enforcement does not cooperate with ICE on civil cases. More recently, Wu drew criticism from U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley, who released a video on social media last week saying the mayor was pushing 'false narratives' about federal immigration enforcement. Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia, who attended Monday's rally, acknowledged the city had already been targeted by the federal government but said the hundreds of protesters who showed up to City Hall showed the city's position. 'We're standing firm. We're ready for it,' Mejia said. 'We're signaling to the Trump administration, 'Don't mess with Boston.'' Huerta was arraigned in court in California at the same time as the rally Monday afternoon. He has been charged with conspiring to impede an officer, according to the Associated Press. 'It won't end well for Trump' if he does this amid LA protests, ex-GOP rep says Markey: Trump using National Guard in LA to distract from big cuts in 'Big Beautiful Bill' ICE deportation blocked by Boston judge: Migrants now in shipping container in Djibouti AG Andrea Joy Campbell: Know your rights when it comes to ICE (Viewpoint) Milford High student released from ICE detention: 'Nobody should be in here' Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Los Angeles protest tensions lead to demonstrations in NYC
LOWER MANHATTAN (PIX11) — In the city with the largest foreign-born population in the country, New Yorkers on Monday protested against ongoing developments in Los Angeles. At a demonstration at City Hall Park on Monday afternoon, protesters said that they were raising their voices in opposition to President Trump exercising federal powers over the objections of state and local leaders. More Local News The Lower Manhattan demonstration ended minutes before the president deployed U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, and a day after he mobilized the California National Guard. It was all in response to protests against ICE detentions in L.A. late last week and through the weekend. Most of the protests were peaceful, but some got violent. Despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass publicly saying that troops would only escalate tensions, President Trump sent them anyway. Newsom is now suing the Trump administration over the situation, and at the Lower Manhattan demonstration on Monday afternoon, the support for that move was strong. 24 people taken into custody at ICE protest at Trump Tower 'I'm an immigrant and I believe that immigrant rights are just as important as every other right,' said Abby King, one of the protesters, 'and we should not allow this to happen,' she said about ICE detentions at workplaces in Southern California. She's a member of the service workers' union, 32BJ SEIU, which organized the City Hall Park protest. It was called in part to publicly oppose the detention of the union's California president, David Huerta. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Federal agents took him into custody on Friday while he was an official observer of an ICE raid. He remained in lockup all weekend and was granted bond on Monday afternoon. Organizers of Monday's protest downtown said that it's the latest in what they anticipate will be more demonstrations, as the situation involving federal actions in Los Angeles and elsewhere continues. Manny Pastreich is the president of 32BJ SEIU, which organized Monday's protest. 'We will be here, we'll be out on the streets,' Pastreich said in an interview. 'We'll be out in front of the federal buildings. We'll be using our voice.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
