Silverhill, Alabama — An Alabama construction worker suing the Department of Homeland Security over previous immigration arrests says federal agents detained and shackled him for a third time earlier this month despite his U.S. citizenship.
According to court filings, Leo Garcia Venegas said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stopped him outside his home in Silverhill on May 2 while he was driving his brother’s truck. Venegas claims officers pulled him from the vehicle, tackled him, and handcuffed him before reviewing his Alabama-issued REAL ID.
Venegas is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice, which alleges DHS and ICE conduct unconstitutional “dragnet” immigration raids targeting Latino construction workers without sufficient probable cause.
In his declaration, Venegas said agents ignored his statements that he was a U.S. citizen and refused to examine his identification before detaining him for roughly 15 minutes. His attorneys argue that even if officers initially had reason to stop the vehicle, continuing to detain him without reviewing proof of citizenship violated the Fourth Amendment.
DHS disputed the account, saying Venegas was not detained and that officers merely conducted a lawful vehicle stop involving a truck registered to an undocumented immigrant. The agency denied allegations of racial profiling and said enforcement actions are targeted and lawful.
The lawsuit remains pending in federal court.
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