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The immigration raids driven by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, are affecting American citizens, mostly Latinos, who have been arrested and even detained on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
This was documented in an extensive report by The New York Times published this Monday, after reviewing court records and testimonies, and finding that at least 15 citizens have been arrested or interrogated by immigration agents since January.
In several cases, the detainees immediately asserted their status as Americans, but they were ignored by the officers and taken to detention centers, where some spent hours or even days without access to a lawyer or phone calls.
One of the most notable cases was that of Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio, an 18-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, who was arrested during a traffic stop in May. Despite repeatedly saying "I'm from here!", the officers detained him for six hours.
In California, Jason Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old citizen, was violently subdued at his classic car business in Montebello. Another, Julio Noriega from Chicago, spent 10 hours in custody after ICE officials handcuffed him while he was delivering his resume.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has defended its procedures as “highly selective”, although there is no federal record documenting the arrests of citizens.
However, the complaints have reached the courts: the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the government, arguing that these detentions violate the Fourth Amendment by disproportionately targeting Latinos.
Although a federal judge in Los Angeles ordered to halt the practice, the Supreme Court suspended the measure, allowing agents to continue with these actions, noted the New York newspaper.
The collected testimonies show a pattern of more aggressive raids, where officers demand immediate proof of citizenship on the streets, at workplaces, and even in schools. Some citizens have started carrying passports in their daily lives out of fear of being detained.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, indicated that one in five ICE arrests involves Latino residents without criminal records or deportation orders.
For many, the experiences have left psychological scars. “I can no longer work peacefully, I'm always on edge,” stated Leonardo García Venegas, who was detained twice in Alabama despite showing valid identification.
During his campaign, Trump promised the largest deportation operation in history, inspired by the so-called "Wetback Operation" of the 1950s. Now, with the authorization of the Supreme Court, his agents have an even broader scope to detain anyone under suspicion.
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