Leonardo García Venegas, a U.S. citizen born in Florida, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while working at a construction site in Foley, Alabama. The incident, which was caught on video, has triggered a wave of outrage from those who see it as a clear case of racial profiling and abuse of authority.
García Venegas, 25, presented his REAL ID to the immigration agents, but they dismissed it as fake and proceeded to detain him. The footage, published by Noticias Telemundo, shows officers physically restraining him, prompting questions about how the operation was handled.
His cousin, Shelah Venegas, shared the video on social media and publicly denounced the incident. In an interview with NBC News, she stated that the family had followed all legal procedures to obtain the REAL ID and suggested that prejudice may have played a role in the arrest. “He has his REAL ID, and I guess because he doesn’t speak English fluently or because he’s brown, it’s fake, it’s not real,” she said.
Leonardo was released after several hours in custody, once he was able to prove his U.S. citizenship by reciting his Social Security number. However, upon returning to the construction site, he discovered that several co-workers had been arrested, including his 34-year-old brother, who is undocumented, according to Latin Times.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that “no mistake was made” during the operation, and that García Venegas was arrested for “attempting to obstruct and prevent the lawful arrest of an undocumented immigrant.”
The incident comes amid a political climate marked by increasingly strict immigration policies under President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history. In the first few months of his new administration, around 100,000 undocumented immigrants have been deported, many under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which grants the president authority to remove noncitizens without trial.
García Venegas’ case has raised concerns among human rights advocates, who denounce the lack of due process and the rise in arbitrary detentions. Supporters of the current immigration strategy argue, however, that such measures are necessary to protect national security and deter illegal immigration.
The arrest has also shaken García Venegas’ workplace. According to Shelah, many employees at the family’s construction company have chosen not to return to work until the situation stabilizes. “It’s crazy that we can’t be different. We contribute to this country like any other citizen through our taxes. But we’re the ones who have to be afraid of being discriminated against every time we go to work,” she said.
The family ultimately decided that Leonardo’s brother should sign deportation papers to avoid being held indefinitely—something that had already happened to another relative, who reportedly spent months in a Louisiana detention center.
“It’s inhumane what they’re doing to our people. They treat them like they’re murderers,” Shelah said. She also expressed concern for the rest of her family, many of whom are citizens working in the same area. “They can’t just sit there because they could be harassed or targeted, like what happened to my cousin,” she added.
García Venegas’ arrest has not only highlighted serious flaws in the immigration system, but also raised alarms about the treatment of Latinos in the United States—even those who are citizens.
