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U.S. citizen therapist dragged from car, handcuffed by CBP

A Key Largo children's therapist and U.S. citizen was dragged from her car and handcuffed by CBP agents while driving to work, despite screaming her citizenship. She was released after about 10 minutes once agents confirmed her ID.

Dec 4, 2025Los Angeles, CA

U.S. citizen therapist dragged from car, handcuffed by CBP
Photo via Instagram

A behavioral therapist for children in Key Largo, Florida, was pulled over by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while driving to work in a car registered to her undocumented partner. Video recorded in part by a Miami Herald reporter showed agents unlocking her door, dragging her from the vehicle, searching her purse, and handcuffing her as she screamed that she was a U.S. citizen and asked for help. The woman, described as under 5 feet tall and 85 pounds, said she complied with instructions to roll down her window but declined to show identification until agents located her driver's license and confirmed her citizenship, releasing her about 10 minutes after the stop began. She said this was the third time she had been stopped in the same area and that the experience left her unable to sleep, in physical pain, and emotionally traumatized. CBP said the stop stemmed from identifying her partner as undocumented, and the broader operation led to 14 undocumented immigrants being arrested. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the incident reflected a pattern of racial profiling, protesters later gathered in Islamorada, and the case is one of more than 500 documented by ProPublica involving U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents.

Timeline

Dec 4, 2025—Video of the stop circulated publicly and CBP confirmed 14 undocumented immigrants were arrested during the same operation
Dec 4, 2025—Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz condemned the incident as racial profiling and protesters gathered in Islamorada
Dec 3, 2025—U.S. citizen behavioral therapist dragged from car and handcuffed by CBP agents near Key Largo, Florida, before being released after about 10 minutes
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