A rising number of U.S. citizens, many of them Latino, say they were wrongfully detained by ICE agents during immigration raids across the country, prompting lawsuits and renewed accusations of racial profiling.
Among those detained was Florida-born Leonardo Garcia Venegas, who was handcuffed at a construction site in Alabama, and Albuquerque resident Jose Hermosillo, who spent 10 days in detention. Another, Elzon Lemus of New York, was stopped because he “looked like” someone else, and California-born Jason Gavidia was asked for his birthplace while outside an auto body shop.
In Los Angeles, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is filing a $1 million suit on behalf of photographer Job Garcia, a U.S. citizen detained for 24 hours while recording a raid. DHS claims Garcia assaulted an agent, a charge advocates deny.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin strongly rejected accusations of racial profiling, saying ICE agents do not target citizens and follow strict protocols. But critics say the incidents reflect systemic overreach under Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown.
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