Latest news with #GarciaVenegas
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US citizen detained by immigration officials who dismissed his Real ID as fake
Authorities wrestled a US-born citizen to the ground, cuffed him and dismissed his so-called Real ID as 'fake' during an arrest operation targeting undocumented people on Wednesday under the direction of the Trump administration, according to a viral video and reporting by Telemundo. Leonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, was at his construction job in Foley, Alabama, when officials arrived to arrest workers there. Garcia Venegas – who was born in Florida to Mexican parents – began filming the arrests with his mobile phone before officials reportedly knocked the device out of his hand and tried to arrest him as well. Video of the arrest shows three officials wrestling him to the ground, while he yells: 'I'm a citizen!' Related: Trump administration trying to dismiss MS-13 leader's charges to deport him According to an interview with the Spanish-language US news outlet Telemundo, officials took out his wallet, removed his ID – which complies with higher federal security standards for state-issued driver's licenses as well as identification – and told him that it was fake. 'They cuffed me,' he said. 'They put the cuffs on quite hard.' Four people at the job site were arrested, including Garcia Venegas's brother, who is undocumented. Officials removed the cuffs from Garcia Venegas hours later – after he gave them his social security number, verifying his US citizenship. 'I feel really sad, honestly, and I feel a bit nervous for everything that's happening,' said Garcia Venegas, referring to the Trump administration's ongoing immigration-related crackdown. His cousin, also a US citizen, told Telemundo they both went through the process of acquiring the Real ID, undergoing 'the protocols the administration is asking for'. 'I feel sad because, even though we were born here, that doesn't matter any more,' the cousin said. She added: 'To have our skin color has, apparently, become a crime. And it has become a crime deserving of this type of treatment – as if we were real criminals.' In a statement to NBC News, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Garcia Venegas of having 'interfered' with the arrest during the operation. 'Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including US citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest,' the DHS's statement to NBC said. It is unclear whether the officials who cuffed Garcia Venegas were local officials, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents or other members of federal law enforcement. Since Trump came into office, various federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and others, have been tasked with carrying out immigration enforcement operations. Some local police and sheriff's departments have also been deputized to carry out federal immigration arrests. As the White House attempts to carry out a promise of 'mass deportations' that vaulted Donald Trump to victory in November's presidential election, a number of US citizens have been caught up in its dragnet. Some, such as Garcia Venegas, have been detained by officials, then released. But others, including children, have been deported. Although rare, the deportation of US citizens has also happened during prior administrations.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's ICE Detains U.S. Citizen, Claiming His REAL ID Was Fake
Amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested and detained a Florida-born U.S. citizen, claiming his REAL ID was fake, Noticias Telemundo reported Friday. Law enforcement came to Leonardo Garcia Venegas' construction job in Foley, Alabama, on Wednesday. Before his arrest, he told NBC News, he was taking out his phone. One ICE agent threw it on the ground, and another grabbed him. 'I'm a citizen!' he said, according to video. 'He's a citizen, bro!' an onlooker yelled. Garcia Venegas, whose parents are from Mexico, told Noticias Telemundo that Immigration and Customs Enforcement said his REAL ID was fake. They detained him in a vehicle, where he gave officials his Social Security number. He was released hours later. 'They took out my wallet, took out my ID,' he told the outlet in Spanish, via The Latin Times. 'And they told me it was fake. Said it wasn't valid and that it was fake. My ID. They handcuffed me and they handcuffed me really tight.' 'I feel really sad, honestly, and I feel a bit nervous for everything that's happening,' he said. Immigration officials have arrested and deported thousands of people, making good on Trump's xenophobic campaign promises. Citizens have been deported, including at least two children with cancer. Trump has defied a judge by deporting people to a notorious prison in El Salvador. And earlier this week, he deported two Asian immigrants to South Sudan, violating a court order. 'He was actually pretty sore when he got back,' Garcia Venegas' cousin Shelah Venegas told NBC News. 'He said his arms were hurting and his hands. His wrists, you could see where he had all the marks from the handcuffs. … The way they put him on the ground, his knees also were hurting.' 'Apparently a REAL ID is not valid anymore. He has a REAL ID,' she said. 'We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for. … He has his REAL ID and then they see him and I guess because his English isn't fluent and/or because he's brown it's fake, it's not real.' A REAL ID is an identification card that can be used to fly and enter federal buildings. It has higher federal security standards than a driver's license. A rule went into effect earlier this month that travelers need a REAL ID or a passport in airports. ICE also detained Garcia Venegas' brother, who was not in the country legally. He reportedly signed deportation papers, wanting to avoid another family member's experience of spending months in a detention center. Garcia Venegas 'physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands,' Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, told NBC News. 'Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest.' Venegas said her family owns a contracting company, and some people are refusing to come to work in the current political climate. 'It's just insane we can't be different, the color that we are. We contribute to this country the same way every other citizen does with their taxes,' she said. 'But we have to be the ones that every time we go to work, we are going to be scared that we're going to get discriminated [against].' More from Rolling Stone Trump Brags to West Point Grads He Can Do Whatever He Wants Now Trump Tries to Make Sure States Don't Fight Climate Change Either Rubio Says Blocking Deportations to South Sudan Will Harm Humanitarian Aid Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
US citizen handcuffed, detained by immigration officials after dismissing his Real ID as fake
A US-born citizen faced the fury of President Donald Trump's administration as officials wrestled him to the ground, handcuffed him and dismissed his Real ID as fake during an arrest operation to target undocumented people on Wednesday, The Guardian reported. The incident took place in Foley, Alabama where officials arrived to arrest undocumented workers at a construction site. This is where 25-year-old Leonardo Garcia Venegas was working. Garcia Venegas was born to Mexican parents in Florida. Garcia began filming the arrests being carried out by the officials until they knocked the mobile out of his hand and started to arrest him. The purported video showed officials wrestling him to the ground, while Garcia yells 'I am a citizen.' According to a US news outlet Telemundo report, Garcia said that officials took out his wallet and removed the ID while calling it fake. 'They cuffed me. They put the cuffs on quite hard,' he said. Report added that four people were arrested by the authorities from the site, including Garcia Venegas's brother, who was undocumented. Real ID, which was alleged by the officials as fake for Garcia, is the identification US citizens are required to keep and show as per the law in order to travel through airports or enter the federal buildings. Real ID is considered as a higher security form of identification. Officials removed the handcuffs from Garcia hours later as he told them his Social Security number, which verified his citizenship. Referring to the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants under the Trump administration, Garcia said 'I feel really sad, honestly, and I feel a bit nervous for everything that's happening.' Garcia's cousin, who is also a US citizen, told Telemundo they both underwent the complete process of acquiring the Real ID, undergoing 'the protocols the administration is asking for'.
Business Mayor
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Mayor
US citizen detained by immigration officials who dismissed his Real ID as fake
Authorities wrestled a US-born citizen to the ground, cuffed him and dismissed his so-called Real ID as 'fake' during an arrest operation targeting undocumented people on Wednesday under the direction of the Trump administration, according to a viral video and reporting by Telemundo. Leonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, was at his construction job in Foley, Alabama, when officials arrived to arrest workers there. Garcia Venegas – who was born in Florida to Mexican parents – began filming the arrests with his mobile phone before officials reportedly knocked the device out of his hand and tried to arrest him as well. Video of the arrest shows three officials wrestling him to the ground, while he yells: 'I'm a citizen!' According to an interview with the Spanish-language US news outlet Telemundo, officials took out his wallet, removed his ID – which complies with higher federal security standards for state-issued driver's licenses as well as identification – and told him that it was fake. 'They cuffed me,' he said. 'They put the cuffs on quite hard.' Four people at the job site were arrested, including Garcia Venegas's brother, who is undocumented. Officials removed the cuffs from Garcia Venegas hours later – after he gave them his social security number, verifying his US citizenship. 'I feel really sad, honestly, and I feel a bit nervous for everything that's happening,' said Garcia Venegas, referring to the Trump administration's ongoing immigration-related crackdown. His cousin, also a US citizen, told Telemundo they both went through the process of acquiring the Real ID, undergoing 'the protocols the administration is asking for'. 'I feel sad because, even though we were born here, that doesn't matter any more,' the cousin said. She added: 'To have our skin color has, apparently, become a crime. And it has become a crime deserving of this type of treatment – as if we were real criminals.' In a statement to NBC News, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused Garcia Venegas of having 'interfered' with the arrest during the operation. 'Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including US citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest,' the DHS's statement to NBC said. It is unclear whether the officials who cuffed Garcia Venegas were local officials, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents or other members of federal law enforcement. Since Trump came into office, various federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and others, have been tasked with carrying out immigration enforcement operations. Some local police and sheriff's departments have also been deputized to carry out federal immigration arrests. As the White House attempts to carry out a promise of 'mass deportations' that vaulted Donald Trump to victory in November's presidential election, a number of US citizens have been caught up in its dragnet. Some, such as Garcia Venegas, have been detained by officials, then released. But others, including children, have been deported. Although rare, the deportation of US citizens has also happened during prior administrations.
