A lawyer standing for a U.S.-born resident that was two times apprehended by migration authorities in current months is contesting the federal government’s opinion that Leonardo Garcia Venegas was apprehended due to the fact that he disrupted representatives that were making an apprehension.
Garcia Venegas, that was birthed in the USA, was apprehended in Might at an Alabama building website by armed representatives in camouflage that “went right for the Latino employees,” his lawyers asserted in a claim submitted versus the federal government today that charges authorities of breaking the 4th Modification defense versus unreasonable search and seizure.
According to the fit, Garcia Venegas was apprehended once again 2 weeks in the future one more personal building website “when one more migration patrol saw him functioning and presumed, without sensible uncertainty, that Leo was undocumented,” the fit stated.
Jaba Tsitsuashvili, a lawyer for the Institute for Justice, informed ABC Information’ Kyra Phillips on Thursday that Garcia Venegas “simply intends to operate in tranquility.”
” 2 times currently, migration policemans have actually barged onto job collections where he was functioning and apprehended him with no factor to assume that he had actually done or was doing anything illegal,” Tsitsuashvili stated. “The very first time, they strongly tackled him to the ground, maintained him in manacles for over an hour, and after that he needed to take 2, practically 2 weeks off from job due to the fact that he was so frightened and distressed by what took place. He was frightened to return.”
” Ultimately, he takes the nerve to return to functioning after a number of weeks. And it ends up his worries were warranted, due to the fact that it took place once again,” stated Tsitsuashvili, that stated that migration policemans got in a virtually totally created home where he was functioning and compelled him outside.
” As the last time, he revealed him his Genuine ID and stated, ‘I’m a resident,'” Tsitsuashvili stated. “They contradicted it. They declined to think it, and once again, they marched him down numerous blocks where they maintained him apprehended for this time around, for regarding a fifty percent an hour, and they ultimately launched him with no apology, with no description.”
A policeman putting on an ICE badge in Broadview, Ill., Sept. 26, 2025.
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu through Getty Photos
” Both times he revealed them the policemans his Genuine ID; both times they stated, ‘We uncommitted. We’re mosting likely to maintain you apprehended anyhow,'” Tsitsuashvili stated.
A declaration launched Wednesday by the Division of Homeland Safety stated that throughout a targeted worksite procedure, “Garcia Venegas tried to block and avoid the authorized apprehension of a prohibited alien.”
” He literally entered between representatives and the topic they were trying to detain and declined to abide by many spoken commands,” the declaration stated. “Any person that proactively blocks police in the efficiency of their vowed obligations, consisting of united state residents, will certainly certainly face repercussions that include apprehension.”
Inquired About the DHS declaration, Tsitsuashvili stated the allegation was not real and sharp to video clips that were fired throughout among the occurrences.
Garcia Venegas was taping numerous lawns far from where police was trying to apprehend somebody, Tsitsuashvili stated, and the video clip “reveals Mr. Garcia being sort of strongly taken on to the ground and after that diverted.”
Tsitsuashvili likewise stated one more video clip of the case was “fired by various other building employee spectators that were not Latino and were never targeted by the policemans.”
In the suggested course activity grievance submitted on Mr. Garcia’s part, the attorneys declare that “DHS licenses these armed raids based upon the basic presumption that specific teams of individuals in the market, consisting of Latinos, are most likely illegal aliens.”
” ICE does NOT apprehension or deport united state residents,” Aide Assistant Tricia McLaughlin stated in a declaration Wednesday. ” Any kind of united state residents apprehended are as a result of blocking or attacking police.”
