Immigration officials arrested 25-year-old Leonardo Garcia Venegas as he worked on a construction site in Foley, Alabama. He happens to be a U.S.-born citizen. When called back to the site, ICE agents arrested multiple workers at the construction site. This created a perfect storm, triggering a confusing and dangerous new requirement that would check citizenship status, as national rhetoric around immigration continued to escalate.
In the latest arrest operation, officers said they struggled Garcia Venegas to the ground. When they didn’t like his Real ID, they cuffed him after calling it a “fake.” It’s meant to meet new federal security requirements in the wake of 9/11 for state-issued identification. As police were taking his wallet, they removed his ID while doing so. So to prove that he did belong legally, as a last resort Garcia Venegas declared, “I’m a citizen!
Garcia Venegas, who was born in Florida to Mexican parents, has fought for his citizenship since childhood. Upon arrest, he was eventually able to give his Social Security number to confirm his identity. Hours later, after verifying his citizenship, officials identified him as a U.S.
This operation led to the arrest of four people, including Garcia Venegas and his undocumented brother. This was another source of anguish for Garcia Venegas, who said he feared for his brother’s safety.
“I feel really sad, honestly, and I feel a bit nervous for everything that’s happening,” – Leonardo Garcia Venegas
The event has generated a national discussion about racial profiling and the targeting of people based on their color, nationality and perceived immigration status. Garcia Venegas’s cousin expressed a deeply disturbing wish about the present atmosphere.
“To have our skin color has, apparently, become a crime. And it has become a crime deserving of this type of treatment – as if we were real criminals,” – Garcia Venegas’s cousin
The family’s anxiety reflects the greater fears that all our communities are feeling in these times. Specifically, they’re concerned about enforcement of immigration policies and repercussions on American citizens who may be profiled due to their race.