Latest news with #LeonardoGarciaVenegas
Epoch Times
7 days ago
- Epoch Times
DHS: US Citizen Detained for Obstructing Arrest of Illegal Immigrant
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday defended its detention of a Florida-born citizen who allegedly interfered during a targeted immigration enforcement operation. He was released after being restrained and questioned over his response to the arrest of his brother, an illegal immigrant. Leonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, was detained on May 21 by federal immigration authorities while at his worksite in Foley, Alabama. Video of the arrest shows Venegas at what appears to be a construction site being restrained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The footage shows a struggle between Venegas and an agent before a second agent comes in to assist. An individual who was not shown in the footage appeared to defend Garcia and reassured ICE agents that he was a U.S. citizen. NTD reached out to ICE, but the agency declined to offer additional information. ICE instead pointed to the statement offered by DHS. In that statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Venegas prevented ICE agents from doing their job. Related Stories 5/24/2025 5/21/2025 'During a targeted worksite operation, the individual in question attempted to obstruct & prevent the lawful arrest of an illegal alien,' she wrote in a NTD also reached out to DHS for additional details but did not receive an immediate response. In an The man's family friend, Shelah Venegas, had 'This happened this morning 05/21 in south Alabama,' she wrote on TikTok. 'A family friend was harrased by these unprofessional federal agents.!! I want to make it known this young man is a US CITIZEN !! He was working normally and as soon as he was approached made it known he was a citizen and was still getting put in handcuffs.' NTD reached out to Shelah Venegas through the social media platform but did not receive a response by publication time. Leonardo Garcia Venegas was released from the police vehicle after providing his Social Security number, his friend said. His brother, however, was not released. He is not a U.S. citizen and not in the country legally, according to Venegas. The brothers live together, and their parents are from Mexico. They are trying to find a lawyer but have been told that it's difficult to sue a federal agent or local law enforcement officer, their cousin said. According to the White House, illegal border encounters are down by 95 percent since Trump took office. From NTD News
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
U.S. citizen with REAL ID detained by ICE
May 25 (UPI) -- An American citizen born in the United States was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers despite having a REAL ID. He was later released from custody after providing his Social Security number. The incident was first reported by Noticias Telemundo, which obtained video footage of a raid that led to the arrest of 25-year-old Leonardo Garcia Venegas at a job site in Alabama. The video shows ICE officers grabbing Venegas and putting handcuffs on him before someone off-camera yelled that he was a citizen. He told the broadcaster that authorities took his ID from his wallet before handcuffing him and dismissed it as fake. "We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for," his cousin Shelah Venegas said. "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." Shelah Venegas, in a post to social media, alleged that the federal authorities refused to let him identify himself and held him in handcuffs "for almost an hour" despite him yelling that he was a citizen. The Department of Homeland Security alleged in a statement to NBC News that Garcia had interfered with an arrest that was being carried out at the job site. "He physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands," said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. The brief video shared by Noticias Telemundo and Shelah Venegas on social media does not appear to show Leonardo Garcia Venegas getting between two agents as described. "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," McLaughlin said. A spokesperson for the agency told Newsweek that "there was no mistake" made by authorities during the encounter.
UPI
7 days ago
- UPI
U.S. citizen with REAL ID detained by ICE
An American citizen born in the United States was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers despite having a REAL ID. Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement May 25 (UPI) -- An American citizen born in the United States was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers despite having a REAL ID. He was later released from custody after providing his Social Security number. The incident was first reported by Noticias Telemundo, which obtained video footage of a raid that led to the arrest of 25-year-old Leonardo Garcia Venegas at a job site in Alabama. The video shows ICE officers grabbing Venegas and putting handcuffs on him before someone off-camera yelled that he was a citizen. He told the broadcaster that authorities took his ID from his wallet before handcuffing him and dismissed it as fake. "We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for," his cousin Shelah Venegas said. "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." Shelah Venegas, in a post to social media, alleged that the federal authorities refused to let him identify himself and held him in handcuffs "for almost an hour" despite him yelling that he was a citizen. The Department of Homeland Security alleged in a statement to NBC News that Garcia had interfered with an arrest that was being carried out at the job site. "He physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands," said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. The brief video shared by Noticias Telemundo and Shelah Venegas on social media does not appear to show Leonardo Garcia Venegas getting between two agents as described. "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," McLaughlin said. A spokesperson for the agency told Newsweek that "there was no mistake" made by authorities during the encounter.
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
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Leonardo Venegas case: DHS says Alabama man obstructed ICE arrest after damning video emerges
The Leonardo Garcia Venegas arrest case took a major turn on Saturday after the Department of Homeland Security revealed that ICE agents were not trying to arrest the Alabama man initially. The DHS, in a statement, said that Venegas tried to obstruct officials and refused to comply with verbal instructions while they were trying to detain a subject. After a video showing ICE agents holding Venegas' neck and putting him down on his knees before his arrest surfaced, DHS claimed that the Florida-born man faced 'consequences' over his refusal to comply with commands. 'He physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands. 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," Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, said on Saturday. Read More: Federal judge blocks immigration authorities from revoking international students' legal status Venegas, however, denied DHS's claim. He told NBC News that he was trying to take out his phone when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent took it and threw it to the ground. Spanish-language US news outlet Telemundo reported that authorities dismissed his Real ID as 'fake' during an arrest operation on Wednesday. The outlet first posted the video, showing officers wrestling Leonardo Garcia Venegas. The 25-year-old was born to Mexican parents in Florida. He was at his construction job in Foley, Alabama, during his arrest. Read More: No US visa for travel agency owners, officials who facilitated illegal immigration In the clip, Venegas can be heard yelling: 'I am a citizen." He told Telemundo that officials took out his wallet, removed his ID, but told him that it was fake. 'They cuffed me,' he said. 'They put the cuffs on quite hard.' Four other people were arrested at the scene, including Venegas's brother, who is undocumented. His cousin, Shelah Venegas, posted his arrest clip on social media, writing, "These federal agents without a single cause completely harassed a family member who is a US CITIZEN!!"
