U.S. Citizen Detained Three Times by Immigration Agents Despite Proof of Citizenship

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen, was detained for the third time by immigration agents in Alabama, despite presenting valid identification proving his citizenship. The incident occurred on May 2 when agents stopped his vehicle, which was registered to his brother, and ignored his pleas and REAL ID. This follows two previous detentions last year, including one where he was tackled while filming his brother’s arrest. Although videos of these incidents went viral and led to congressional testimony and a pending lawsuit against the Trump administration, authorities continue to detain him. While DHS officials publicly denied arresting any U.S. citizens by mistake, claiming operations are highly targeted, they characterized Venegas’ latest encounter as a routine stop rather than a detention. Contradicting these claims, other recent incidents involve American citizens being physically restrained by masked agents. Venegas reports significant mental distress, fearing arbitrary stops daily. The case highlights ongoing discrepancies between official denials of erroneous citizen detentions and documented realities faced by individuals like Venegas, raising serious concerns about accountability and procedural failures within Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.