Thread by @RAICESTEXAS

Sergio's #DACA had expired, but he'd started the reapplication process & wasn't worried.

Then ICE agents ambushed him & took him behind an abandoned Walmart, stripping him of his things.

The reason? His tweets. ICE punished him for being an activist.

theintercept.com/2019/11/02/dep…

Sergio was grabbed and taken to a cell where he spent 43 days watching as the FBI, ICE, & USCIS investigated every aspect of his life.

They questioned his neighbors & combed through his social media presence, looking to build a criminal case against him.

This isn't the first time the federal gov. has targeted a #DACA activist.

All summer, Sergio & friends had been protesting in front of the San Antonio ICE office #OccupyICESATX

Sergio stood up when he saw immigrants caged and separated from their loved ones

Yet as he protested, a case was built against him

Thru cross referencing the cell listed on his #DACA app, USCIS subpoenaed Twitter & found old tweets from Sergio's account

The tweets weren't great.

And Sergio doesn't stand by his old tweets, but it didn't matter

His #DACA was denied & he was arrested.

He was in a holding cell before we got his #DACA rejection letter, citing "discretionary" reasons.

The reasons were a handful of tweets Sergio had posted at 18, responding to racists trolls & fear mongering politicians.

Even though tasteless, his tweets did not qualify as criminal behavior.

But, they were enough to ruin his character

And for 43 days, Sergio sat in a cell, without a criminal charge, eventually agreeing to be deported to a country he had not visited since he was a toddler.

This is not the first time an activist has been targeted.

Sergio's case shows the lengths to which the anti-immigrant machine workers to track down & target those who dare speak up.

theintercept.com/2019/11/02/dep…