Border Patrol & ICE operating under Trump regime directives have repeatedly attacked and detained US citizens violating their civil rights and human rights. Regime agents have also been caught falsifying reports, destroying evidence to cover up their actions. 🧵 
Between June and October 2025, there have been at least 14 verified cases of US citizens detained or arrested by Trump's ICE regime forces & Border Patrol in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Montebello, Long Beach, Downey, San Pedro, Compton, Portland, Birmingham, Chicago, and Cicero.
Job (Jhovany) Garcia, June 6, 2025, Los Angeles (CA). Tackled and detained while filming Border Patrol agents at a Hollywood Home Depot; held for hours at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Garcia’s arrest became the first documented case of a US citizen detained during the June 2025 Los Angeles immigration sweep. The case is now central to MALDEF’s ongoing litigation against DHS for unconstitutional arrests and excessive force.
At approximately 9:00 AM on June 6, 2025, Job Garcia, a Los Angeles-based delivery driver and confirmed U.S. citizen, arrived at a Home Depot on Sunset Boulevard to begin his delivery shift. Upon noticing multiple unmarked vans and men in green tactical vests labeled “POLICE” and “U.S. Border Patrol,” Garcia began recording the scene on his phone.
Video evidence reviewed by shows regime agents using force to break the window of a parked truck containing another individual. When Garcia moved closer to film, agents tackled him to the pavement, shouting “Give me your hand! You want it, you got it!” He was restrained, handcuffed, and loaded into a van.
Garcia was transported first to Dodger Stadium’s parking compound, which had been temporarily converted into a federal staging area for detainees, and later to the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown. He reported being held underground for several hours in overcrowded conditions before release without charge. His phone and equipment were confiscated but later returned.
prospect.org/justice/2025-0…
latimes.com/california/sto…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/j…
Garcia’s arrest became the first documented case of a US citizen detained during the June 2025 Los Angeles immigration sweep. The case is now central to MALDEF’s ongoing litigation against DHS for unconstitutional arrests and excessive force.
At approximately 9:00 AM on June 6, 2025, Job Garcia, a Los Angeles-based delivery driver and confirmed U.S. citizen, arrived at a Home Depot on Sunset Boulevard to begin his delivery shift. Upon noticing multiple unmarked vans and men in green tactical vests labeled “POLICE” and “U.S. Border Patrol,” Garcia began recording the scene on his phone.
Video evidence reviewed by shows regime agents using force to break the window of a parked truck containing another individual. When Garcia moved closer to film, agents tackled him to the pavement, shouting “Give me your hand! You want it, you got it!” He was restrained, handcuffed, and loaded into a van.
Garcia was transported first to Dodger Stadium’s parking compound, which had been temporarily converted into a federal staging area for detainees, and later to the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown. He reported being held underground for several hours in overcrowded conditions before release without charge. His phone and equipment were confiscated but later returned.
prospect.org/justice/2025-0…
latimes.com/california/sto…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/j…
Javier Ramirez, June 12, 2025, Montebello, (CA). He was targeted and detained during an ICE sweep despite having identification; later confirmed as a U.S. citizen. Case cited in MALDEF’s case against unconstitutional arrests.
In the early morning hours of June 12, 2025, Trump ICE regime troops and Border Patrol officers conducted a coordinated raid targeting a Montebello warehouse complex near Telegraph Road. The operation was part of a larger Los Angeles County enforcement surge that began June 6.
Javier Ramirez, a 34-year-old U.S. citizen and warehouse foreman, was detained after regime agents are reported to have entered the property without presenting a warrant. Witnesses stated that Ramirez identified himself as a U.S. citizen, showed his California driver’s license, and repeatedly asked for legal counsel. Regime agents are reported to have ignored his documentation and transported him along with several non-citizen workers to a federal holding van.
He was then taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he was held for nearly 10 hours before being released without charge. His phone was confiscated and then later returned.
abc7.com/post/man-arres…
foxla.com/news/us-citize…
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/imm…
In the early morning hours of June 12, 2025, Trump ICE regime troops and Border Patrol officers conducted a coordinated raid targeting a Montebello warehouse complex near Telegraph Road. The operation was part of a larger Los Angeles County enforcement surge that began June 6.
Javier Ramirez, a 34-year-old U.S. citizen and warehouse foreman, was detained after regime agents are reported to have entered the property without presenting a warrant. Witnesses stated that Ramirez identified himself as a U.S. citizen, showed his California driver’s license, and repeatedly asked for legal counsel. Regime agents are reported to have ignored his documentation and transported him along with several non-citizen workers to a federal holding van.
He was then taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he was held for nearly 10 hours before being released without charge. His phone was confiscated and then later returned.
abc7.com/post/man-arres…
foxla.com/news/us-citize…
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/imm…
Andrea Velez, June 26, 2025, Downtown Los Angeles (CA). She was arrested during a raid; family described it as a kidnapping. All charges later dropped due to insufficient evidence by regime agents who lied.
On the morning of June 26, 2025, Andrea Velez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, was dropped off by her family near her workplace in downtown Los Angeles. Within minutes, a convoy of masked Trump regime agents in tactical vests, bearing ICE and U.S. Border Patrol markings, arrived at the intersection of 9th and Spring Streets, initiating what witnesses later described as a “lightning raid” targeting nearby pedestrians and day laborers.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts and bystander video, agents surrounded Velez, seized her by both arms, and lifted her off the ground as she screamed that she was a U.S. citizen. Her family, still nearby, filmed part of the incident and told reporters it looked “like a kidnapping.”
No warrant was shown at the scene. Velez was transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC-L.A.), where she was booked under federal custody and charged with assaulting a federal officer, an accusation later reported as a “fabricated to justify the arrest.” She spent approximately 48 hours in detention, during which she was reported to have been denied water and access to counsel.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/j…
cbsnews.com/losangeles/new…
abc7.com/post/us-citize…
On the morning of June 26, 2025, Andrea Velez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, was dropped off by her family near her workplace in downtown Los Angeles. Within minutes, a convoy of masked Trump regime agents in tactical vests, bearing ICE and U.S. Border Patrol markings, arrived at the intersection of 9th and Spring Streets, initiating what witnesses later described as a “lightning raid” targeting nearby pedestrians and day laborers.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts and bystander video, agents surrounded Velez, seized her by both arms, and lifted her off the ground as she screamed that she was a U.S. citizen. Her family, still nearby, filmed part of the incident and told reporters it looked “like a kidnapping.”
No warrant was shown at the scene. Velez was transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC-L.A.), where she was booked under federal custody and charged with assaulting a federal officer, an accusation later reported as a “fabricated to justify the arrest.” She spent approximately 48 hours in detention, during which she was reported to have been denied water and access to counsel.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/j…
cbsnews.com/losangeles/new…
abc7.com/post/us-citize…
Luis Hipólito, June, 2025, Los Angeles (CA). He was violently assaulted and illegally detained by masked regime agents during a raid in downtown LA.
During the third week of June 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units conducted a large-scale enforcement operation along the Pico-Union corridor, an area with high immigrant density and ongoing protests against deportations.
Hipólito, a 27-year-old U.S.-born resident of MacArthur Park, attended one of these demonstrations as a volunteer legal observer with a local immigrant-rights coalition. Cell-phone footage shows him several feet behind a police line, documenting arrests. At approximately 7:45 p.m., a Border Patrol agent ordered observers to “clear the sidewalk.” Hipólito can be heard responding, “I’m documenting, I’m not interfering.” Within seconds, regime agents approached, grabbed his camera arm, and pushed him face-first against a patrol vehicle and the pavement.
Video published by the Los Angeles Times shows him pinned face-down on the pavement, several officers pressing their knees and hands into his back and neck as he struggles to breathe. Witnesses shouted for agents to stop, warning that he appeared to be convulsing. A still frame shows his legs shaking, his face pressed into the curb, and one agent kneeling across his shoulders for over two minutes. Agents later claimed Hipólito had punched one of them. Court filings and follow-up reporting by The Guardian found no supporting evidence, and prosecutors quietly dismissed the assault charge after reviewing body-camera and bystander footage that contradicted the official report.
He was handcuffed and placed in a transport van with other detainees, taken first to a temporary holding zone near Olympic Boulevard and Union Avenue, then to the Metropolitan Detention Center (L.A.), where he was held overnight and released without charge the following morning. Regime agents confiscated his phone and returned it several days later with video file evidence partially deleted.
latimes.com/california/sto…
tmz.com/2025/06/27/ice…
During the third week of June 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units conducted a large-scale enforcement operation along the Pico-Union corridor, an area with high immigrant density and ongoing protests against deportations.
Hipólito, a 27-year-old U.S.-born resident of MacArthur Park, attended one of these demonstrations as a volunteer legal observer with a local immigrant-rights coalition. Cell-phone footage shows him several feet behind a police line, documenting arrests. At approximately 7:45 p.m., a Border Patrol agent ordered observers to “clear the sidewalk.” Hipólito can be heard responding, “I’m documenting, I’m not interfering.” Within seconds, regime agents approached, grabbed his camera arm, and pushed him face-first against a patrol vehicle and the pavement.
Video published by the Los Angeles Times shows him pinned face-down on the pavement, several officers pressing their knees and hands into his back and neck as he struggles to breathe. Witnesses shouted for agents to stop, warning that he appeared to be convulsing. A still frame shows his legs shaking, his face pressed into the curb, and one agent kneeling across his shoulders for over two minutes. Agents later claimed Hipólito had punched one of them. Court filings and follow-up reporting by The Guardian found no supporting evidence, and prosecutors quietly dismissed the assault charge after reviewing body-camera and bystander footage that contradicted the official report.
He was handcuffed and placed in a transport van with other detainees, taken first to a temporary holding zone near Olympic Boulevard and Union Avenue, then to the Metropolitan Detention Center (L.A.), where he was held overnight and released without charge the following morning. Regime agents confiscated his phone and returned it several days later with video file evidence partially deleted.
latimes.com/california/sto…
tmz.com/2025/06/27/ice…
Adrian Martinez, June, 2025, Pico Rivera (CA).
He was violently assaulted and unlawfully detained by regime agents during an ICE and Border Patrol enforcement action in a Walmart parking lot outside Los Angeles.
During mid-June 2025, federal agents launched a series of coordinated raids across Los Angeles County, focusing on workplaces and parking areas in immigrant-heavy districts such as Pico Rivera and Montebello. The operation, carried out under DHS supervision, triggered multiple reports of excessive force and wrongful detentions.
Adrian Martinez, a 20-year-old U.S.-born citizen and retail worker from East Los Angeles, was detained after recording agents detaining a janitor in the Walmart parking lot where he worked. Surveillance footage reviewed by NBC Los Angeles and People Magazine shows Martinez standing near the scene and raising his phone to document the arrest. Within moments, two agents tackled him to the ground, twisted his arm, and restrained him by the neck before dragging him into a federal vehicle.
Martinez’s mother told CBS Los Angeles she repeatedly tried to present his birth certificate to prove his citizenship but was turned away by regime agents. He was held for three days in a temporary ICE holding facility described by Martinez as “a concrete cell with urine on the floor,” where detainees were chained together and denied phone calls.
Regime agents lied that Martinez had “punched a Border Patrol officer,” but the official indictment listed only conspiracy to impede federal officers, not assault. After review of the surveillance footage and media scrutiny, prosecutors dismissed the assault allegation. Martinez was released following public outcry and confirmation of his U.S. citizenship.
He later joined the ongoing civil-rights litigation challenging the legality of the Los Angeles raids under Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong’s jurisdiction, for violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights.
cbsnews.com/losangeles/new…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/a…
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/new…
He was violently assaulted and unlawfully detained by regime agents during an ICE and Border Patrol enforcement action in a Walmart parking lot outside Los Angeles.
During mid-June 2025, federal agents launched a series of coordinated raids across Los Angeles County, focusing on workplaces and parking areas in immigrant-heavy districts such as Pico Rivera and Montebello. The operation, carried out under DHS supervision, triggered multiple reports of excessive force and wrongful detentions.
Adrian Martinez, a 20-year-old U.S.-born citizen and retail worker from East Los Angeles, was detained after recording agents detaining a janitor in the Walmart parking lot where he worked. Surveillance footage reviewed by NBC Los Angeles and People Magazine shows Martinez standing near the scene and raising his phone to document the arrest. Within moments, two agents tackled him to the ground, twisted his arm, and restrained him by the neck before dragging him into a federal vehicle.
Martinez’s mother told CBS Los Angeles she repeatedly tried to present his birth certificate to prove his citizenship but was turned away by regime agents. He was held for three days in a temporary ICE holding facility described by Martinez as “a concrete cell with urine on the floor,” where detainees were chained together and denied phone calls.
Regime agents lied that Martinez had “punched a Border Patrol officer,” but the official indictment listed only conspiracy to impede federal officers, not assault. After review of the surveillance footage and media scrutiny, prosecutors dismissed the assault allegation. Martinez was released following public outcry and confirmation of his U.S. citizenship.
He later joined the ongoing civil-rights litigation challenging the legality of the Los Angeles raids under Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong’s jurisdiction, for violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights.
cbsnews.com/losangeles/new…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/a…
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/new…
Rafie Ollah Shouhed, September 26, 2025, Los Angeles (CA). He was violently assaulted and illegally detained by masked regime agents during a late-September raid at his small business in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles.
On the afternoon of September 26, 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units carried out a coordinated immigration sweep across several Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Fairfax and Pico-Robertson, targeting small businesses suspected of employing undocumented workers. The operation came amid growing criticism of DHS “roving patrols,” which Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong had already ruled unconstitutional earlier that summer.
Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old U.S. citizen and retired dentist, was at his car wash on Van Nuys Boulevard when several masked agents in tactical vests entered the premises without a warrant. Surveillance footage reviewed by NBC Los Angeles and The Los Angeles Times shows Shouhed stepping forward to ask the agents to identify themselves. Moments later, one agent shoved him backward against a vehicle, forced his hands behind his back, and slammed him to the ground.
Witnesses and employees can be heard yelling that Shouhed was an American citizen. Despite repeated attempts by his family to present his U.S. passport, agents ignored them and took him into custody. He was held for nearly 12 hours without medical attention for his injuries, before being released without charge.
Medical records reviewed by his attorneys documented a dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs, and wrist lacerations, injuries consistent with excessive force. Shouhed subsequently filed a $50 million civil-rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol, alleging unlawful seizure, assault, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. His attorney, Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel, described the event as “a grotesque abuse of power and a stark warning of what happens when federal agents act without oversight.”
latimes.com/california/sto…
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/van…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/s…
On the afternoon of September 26, 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units carried out a coordinated immigration sweep across several Los Angeles neighborhoods, including Fairfax and Pico-Robertson, targeting small businesses suspected of employing undocumented workers. The operation came amid growing criticism of DHS “roving patrols,” which Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong had already ruled unconstitutional earlier that summer.
Rafie Ollah Shouhed, a 79-year-old U.S. citizen and retired dentist, was at his car wash on Van Nuys Boulevard when several masked agents in tactical vests entered the premises without a warrant. Surveillance footage reviewed by NBC Los Angeles and The Los Angeles Times shows Shouhed stepping forward to ask the agents to identify themselves. Moments later, one agent shoved him backward against a vehicle, forced his hands behind his back, and slammed him to the ground.
Witnesses and employees can be heard yelling that Shouhed was an American citizen. Despite repeated attempts by his family to present his U.S. passport, agents ignored them and took him into custody. He was held for nearly 12 hours without medical attention for his injuries, before being released without charge.
Medical records reviewed by his attorneys documented a dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs, and wrist lacerations, injuries consistent with excessive force. Shouhed subsequently filed a $50 million civil-rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol, alleging unlawful seizure, assault, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. His attorney, Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel, described the event as “a grotesque abuse of power and a stark warning of what happens when federal agents act without oversight.”
latimes.com/california/sto…
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/van…
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/s…
Rachel Simon, September 27, 2025, Ladera Heights (Los Angeles, CA). She was violently detained and injured by masked regime agents during an immigration raid at the Ladera Heights Home Depot.
During the last weekend of September 2025, ICE/Border Patrol units executed a surge operation at the Home Depot on Slauson Ave. in Ladera Heights. The operation drew legal observers and community rapid-response volunteers. Local coverage and eyewitness video captured agents detaining multiple people and confronting bystanders documenting the raid. NBC Los Angeles
Rachel Simon, a U.S. citizen and community human-rights observer, appears on video pleading, “My name is Rachel Simon. I am an American citizen. I was born here.” as agents restrain and remove her from the scene. Witness accounts say she was taken to a hospital following the takedown and later removed from hospital custody and transported downtown, where she was released after several hours. A local outlet reports she was held roughly eight hours before release. NBC Los Angeles+2WestsideToday+2
Additional social clips posted by area groups show the same sequence, Simon screaming for help, giving her name, and asking bystanders to call her family, consistent with NBC4’s description of the video audio.
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/lad…
During the last weekend of September 2025, ICE/Border Patrol units executed a surge operation at the Home Depot on Slauson Ave. in Ladera Heights. The operation drew legal observers and community rapid-response volunteers. Local coverage and eyewitness video captured agents detaining multiple people and confronting bystanders documenting the raid. NBC Los Angeles
Rachel Simon, a U.S. citizen and community human-rights observer, appears on video pleading, “My name is Rachel Simon. I am an American citizen. I was born here.” as agents restrain and remove her from the scene. Witness accounts say she was taken to a hospital following the takedown and later removed from hospital custody and transported downtown, where she was released after several hours. A local outlet reports she was held roughly eight hours before release. NBC Los Angeles+2WestsideToday+2
Additional social clips posted by area groups show the same sequence, Simon screaming for help, giving her name, and asking bystanders to call her family, consistent with NBC4’s description of the video audio.
nbclosangeles.com/news/local/lad…
Frank Miranda, October 2, 2025, Portland (OR).
He was violently detained and falsely accused of having invalid identification by masked regime agents outside his workplace, despite being a US-born citizen.
On the morning of October 2, 2025, plainclothes regime agents wearing tactical vests marked “POLICE” approached Frank Miranda, a 36-year-old California-born construction worker, outside a job site in southeast Portland. Video verified by AP News and Willamette Week shows agents demanding identification and claiming Miranda’s state-issued Real ID was “not valid.” Miranda repeatedly stated, “I’m a U.S. citizen,” before being grabbed, forced to the ground, handcuffed, and pushed into an unmarked van.
Video recorded by Miranda before his phone was seized captures an agent threatening to “bring the dog” if he didn’t comply. Another coworker’s clip shows regime agents laughing as they drove him away. He was detained for several hours and released the same day after regime agents reportedly confirmed his citizenship.
His attorney, Michael Fuller, filed a tort claim with the Department of Homeland Security, seeking damages for unlawful detention and violation of Miranda’s Fourth Amendment rights, and demanding the identities of the agents involved. The case drew national attention after Oregon Rep. Janelle Bynum condemned the operation as “an abduction, not an arrest,” calling for a congressional investigation into regime actions and the use of federal resources for domestic raids.
apnews.com/article/us-cit…
wweek.com/news/2025/10/0…
opb.org/article/2025/1…
He was violently detained and falsely accused of having invalid identification by masked regime agents outside his workplace, despite being a US-born citizen.
On the morning of October 2, 2025, plainclothes regime agents wearing tactical vests marked “POLICE” approached Frank Miranda, a 36-year-old California-born construction worker, outside a job site in southeast Portland. Video verified by AP News and Willamette Week shows agents demanding identification and claiming Miranda’s state-issued Real ID was “not valid.” Miranda repeatedly stated, “I’m a U.S. citizen,” before being grabbed, forced to the ground, handcuffed, and pushed into an unmarked van.
Video recorded by Miranda before his phone was seized captures an agent threatening to “bring the dog” if he didn’t comply. Another coworker’s clip shows regime agents laughing as they drove him away. He was detained for several hours and released the same day after regime agents reportedly confirmed his citizenship.
His attorney, Michael Fuller, filed a tort claim with the Department of Homeland Security, seeking damages for unlawful detention and violation of Miranda’s Fourth Amendment rights, and demanding the identities of the agents involved. The case drew national attention after Oregon Rep. Janelle Bynum condemned the operation as “an abduction, not an arrest,” calling for a congressional investigation into regime actions and the use of federal resources for domestic raids.
apnews.com/article/us-cit…
wweek.com/news/2025/10/0…
opb.org/article/2025/1…
Debbie Brockman, October 10, 2025, Chicago (IL).
She was violently detained, publicly stripped, and falsely accused of assaulting regime agents while documenting an immigration raid in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.
On the morning of October 10, 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units conducted an enforcement raid in Lincoln Square, a mixed-residential district of Chicago’s North Side. The operation, part of a multi-city regime sweep, unfolded near the intersection of Montrose and Western Avenues—a busy corridor lined with shops, apartments, and small studios.
Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and a veteran video editor and field producer for WGN-TV, was recording the ongoing arrests from the sidewalk when several masked regime agents advanced toward bystanders, ordering them to move back. Witness footage verified by The Guardian and People Magazine shows Brockman identifying herself as press, shouting “WGN, I’m with WGN!” as agents grabbed her by the arm, forced her to the ground, and handcuffed her. One officer reportedly shoved a knee into her back as she protested that she was simply filming.
Regime officials later claimed she had thrown an object at a federal vehicle—an allegation contradicted by at least three videos showing no object in her hands at the time of the arrest. Eyewitnesses told CBS Chicago and The Guardian that Brockman was “standing quietly, recording,” when agents tackled her without warning. She was taken to a nearby staging area and held for approximately three hours before being released without charges.
Following her release, WGN-TV issued a statement confirming her employment and demanding a full explanation from the Department of Homeland Security. Civil-liberties attorneys from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have since announced plans to file an information request and potential civil-rights complaint citing unlawful detention of a journalist performing protected newsgathering duties.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/o…
cbsnews.com/chicago/news/w…
She was violently detained, publicly stripped, and falsely accused of assaulting regime agents while documenting an immigration raid in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.
On the morning of October 10, 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units conducted an enforcement raid in Lincoln Square, a mixed-residential district of Chicago’s North Side. The operation, part of a multi-city regime sweep, unfolded near the intersection of Montrose and Western Avenues—a busy corridor lined with shops, apartments, and small studios.
Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and a veteran video editor and field producer for WGN-TV, was recording the ongoing arrests from the sidewalk when several masked regime agents advanced toward bystanders, ordering them to move back. Witness footage verified by The Guardian and People Magazine shows Brockman identifying herself as press, shouting “WGN, I’m with WGN!” as agents grabbed her by the arm, forced her to the ground, and handcuffed her. One officer reportedly shoved a knee into her back as she protested that she was simply filming.
Regime officials later claimed she had thrown an object at a federal vehicle—an allegation contradicted by at least three videos showing no object in her hands at the time of the arrest. Eyewitnesses told CBS Chicago and The Guardian that Brockman was “standing quietly, recording,” when agents tackled her without warning. She was taken to a nearby staging area and held for approximately three hours before being released without charges.
Following her release, WGN-TV issued a statement confirming her employment and demanding a full explanation from the Department of Homeland Security. Civil-liberties attorneys from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have since announced plans to file an information request and potential civil-rights complaint citing unlawful detention of a journalist performing protected newsgathering duties.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/o…
cbsnews.com/chicago/news/w…
Leo Garcia Venegas, May & June 2025, Baldwin County (AL). He was violently detained twice and falsely accused of using a fake ID by masked regime agents during construction site raids in southern Alabama, despite being a U.S.-born citizen.
During the spring and early summer of 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units carried out a series of coordinated workplace raids across Baldwin County, targeting residential and commercial construction sites under the pretext of verifying immigration status. The operations occurred amid growing national outrage over unlawful detentions of U.S. citizens in the South and a rising number of racial-profiling complaints.
Leo Garcia Venegas, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen born in Florida, worked as a concrete finisher and bricklayer in Foley, Alabama. On May 21, 2025, regime agents arrived at his job site, where several coworkers were being questioned. When Venegas began filming the scene, one agent shouted, “Put the phone down!” before tackling him to the ground. His Alabama real ID was dismissed as “fake,” and he was handcuffed and detained for nearly an hour before being released after agents verified his Social Security number.
Less than a month later, on June 12, 2025, Venegas was detained again at a nearby job site in Robertsdale, despite presenting the same identification. Witnesses reported that he was ordered to sit on the ground at gunpoint while agents repeated the false claim that his ID was fraudulent. He was released twenty minutes later after another verification of citizenship.
Venegas sustained bruises to his wrists and shoulders during the first incident and says he has suffered ongoing trauma and fear of returning to work. On September 30, 2025, he filed a class-action civil-rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol, represented by the Institute for Justice, alleging unlawful seizure, racial discrimination, and violations of the Fourth Amendment. The complaint accuses regime agents of detaining U.S. citizens “solely based on appearance and proximity to Latino workers” and conducting warrantless raids on private property without probable cause.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/m…
alabamareflector.com/2025/10/01/bal…
ij.org/press-release/…
During the spring and early summer of 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units carried out a series of coordinated workplace raids across Baldwin County, targeting residential and commercial construction sites under the pretext of verifying immigration status. The operations occurred amid growing national outrage over unlawful detentions of U.S. citizens in the South and a rising number of racial-profiling complaints.
Leo Garcia Venegas, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen born in Florida, worked as a concrete finisher and bricklayer in Foley, Alabama. On May 21, 2025, regime agents arrived at his job site, where several coworkers were being questioned. When Venegas began filming the scene, one agent shouted, “Put the phone down!” before tackling him to the ground. His Alabama real ID was dismissed as “fake,” and he was handcuffed and detained for nearly an hour before being released after agents verified his Social Security number.
Less than a month later, on June 12, 2025, Venegas was detained again at a nearby job site in Robertsdale, despite presenting the same identification. Witnesses reported that he was ordered to sit on the ground at gunpoint while agents repeated the false claim that his ID was fraudulent. He was released twenty minutes later after another verification of citizenship.
Venegas sustained bruises to his wrists and shoulders during the first incident and says he has suffered ongoing trauma and fear of returning to work. On September 30, 2025, he filed a class-action civil-rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol, represented by the Institute for Justice, alleging unlawful seizure, racial discrimination, and violations of the Fourth Amendment. The complaint accuses regime agents of detaining U.S. citizens “solely based on appearance and proximity to Latino workers” and conducting warrantless raids on private property without probable cause.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/m…
alabamareflector.com/2025/10/01/bal…
ij.org/press-release/…
George Retes, July 10, 2025, Camarillo (CA).
He was violently assaulted and illegally detained by masked regime agents during a large-scale immigration raid at a California cannabis farm, despite being a disabled U.S. Army veteran and US citizen.
On the morning of July 10, 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units conducted a coordinated raid on Glass House Farms, a major cannabis cultivation facility in Camarillo, California, as part of an ongoing federal enforcement operation targeting alleged “labor violations.” The action came amid rising concerns over the detention of U.S. citizens during immigration sweeps and repeated accusations of racial profiling by regime units across the western United States.
George Retes, a 25-year-old disabled U.S. Army veteran and American citizen employed as a security guard, was driving to work when regime agents surrounded his car. Witnesses and footage reviewed by Reuters and ABC News show agents smashing his vehicle window, deploying pepper spray, and dragging him to the ground while shouting orders. Retes repeatedly identified himself as a U.S. citizen and presented a veterans ID, but agents continued restraining him with force.
He was transported to a nearby federal holding site and detained for three days without charge, denied access to counsel or family contact. Retes later reported being tear-gassed, restrained for extended periods, and refused medical care despite visible injuries. He missed his daughter’s third birthday while in custody.
Upon release, agents returned his phone and belongings but offered no explanation or apology. Retes has since filed a civil-rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol, alleging unlawful seizure, excessive force, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. His attorney described the incident as “a constitutional failure and a warning to all Americans — citizenship no longer guarantees safety under this regime.”
George tells @BulwarkOnline his story:
newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-a-us-citi…
reuters.com/legal/governme…
military.com/daily-news/202…
He was violently assaulted and illegally detained by masked regime agents during a large-scale immigration raid at a California cannabis farm, despite being a disabled U.S. Army veteran and US citizen.
On the morning of July 10, 2025, ICE and Border Patrol units conducted a coordinated raid on Glass House Farms, a major cannabis cultivation facility in Camarillo, California, as part of an ongoing federal enforcement operation targeting alleged “labor violations.” The action came amid rising concerns over the detention of U.S. citizens during immigration sweeps and repeated accusations of racial profiling by regime units across the western United States.
George Retes, a 25-year-old disabled U.S. Army veteran and American citizen employed as a security guard, was driving to work when regime agents surrounded his car. Witnesses and footage reviewed by Reuters and ABC News show agents smashing his vehicle window, deploying pepper spray, and dragging him to the ground while shouting orders. Retes repeatedly identified himself as a U.S. citizen and presented a veterans ID, but agents continued restraining him with force.
He was transported to a nearby federal holding site and detained for three days without charge, denied access to counsel or family contact. Retes later reported being tear-gassed, restrained for extended periods, and refused medical care despite visible injuries. He missed his daughter’s third birthday while in custody.
Upon release, agents returned his phone and belongings but offered no explanation or apology. Retes has since filed a civil-rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Border Patrol, alleging unlawful seizure, excessive force, and violations of his Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. His attorney described the incident as “a constitutional failure and a warning to all Americans — citizenship no longer guarantees safety under this regime.”
George tells @BulwarkOnline his story:
newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-a-us-citi…
reuters.com/legal/governme…
military.com/daily-news/202…
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