US citizen construction worker detained repeatedly by ICE despite valid Alabama ID, sues DHS
Sep 21, 2026·Location: Foley, AL
Country of origin: Mexico

Leonardo 'Leo' Garcia Venegas, a 25-year-old U.S.-born citizen of Mexican descent working construction in Baldwin County, Alabama, was detained by immigration agents multiple times beginning in May 2025 despite presenting a valid Alabama REAL ID. In the first incident, armed agents raided a Foley construction site, tackled his undocumented brother, and held Garcia Venegas handcuffed for over an hour after he began filming and asserted his citizenship; his brother was later deported. Weeks later, agents detained him again at another job site, again dismissing his ID as fake despite him also providing his Social Security card. In a third encounter, officers followed him home, pulled him from his vehicle, tackled him, and shackled him. Never charged with a crime, Garcia Venegas testified before Congress saying 'I don't feel free,' and filed a federal lawsuit with the Institute for Justice against DHS officials, including Tom Homan and Kristi Noem, alleging Fourth Amendment violations, assault, battery, and false arrest. A federal judge in the Southern District of Alabama denied the government's motion to dismiss and temporarily halted warrantless construction-site raids, a ruling Garcia Venegas called 'a huge blow to lawless enforcement practices.'
Timeline
Sources
- More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
ProPublica·Oct 16, 2025·archived copy
- 4 US citizens arrested during ICE crackdown on NYC's Canal Street, congressman says
- How American Kids Have Been Collateral Damage in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
ProPublica·Mar 24, 2026
- Lawyer for US-born citizen detained by ICE disputes that he was interfering with agents
- US citizen detained by ICE and told his REAL ID is "fake"
Newsweek·May 24, 2025
- Why Have Immigration Agents Detained This American Citizen Three Times?
ProPublica·May 15, 2026
Salon·May 24, 2026
- PBS
- US citizen sues after twice being detained by immigration agents
The Guardian·Oct 2, 2025
- ICE detiene a ciudadano durante redada en una construcción en Alabama – Conexión Migrante
conexionmigrante.com·May 23, 2025·archived copy
- ICE's mass arrests ensnare U.S. citizens and show no signs of stopping
reason.com·Oct 31, 2025
- Confirmed: ICE Is Arresting American Citizens—and Lying About It
newrepublic.com·Nov 6, 2025
- ICE is arresting US citizens for ‘impeding’ their operations | CNN Politics
- ICE Accused of Arresting US Citizens: Lawmakers Shocked by 'Disturbing' Pattern of Mistaken Detentions
ibtimes.com·Oct 21, 2025
- This U.S. citizen is suing ICE for arresting him 3 times. His lawsuit is moving forward.
reason.com·Sep 3, 2026
- Judge allows Baldwin County man to continue suit against unlawful ICE detainers
alreporter.com·Sep 9, 2026
- al.com
- CourtListener
- CourtListener
- Garcia Garcia v. Vergara, 5:26-cv-04527
- CourtListener
- CourtListener
- CourtListener
- dothaneagle.com
- usnews.com
- Alabama U.S. Citizen Sues Federal Government After Being Detained Three Times by ICE
nbcpalmsprings.com·May 7, 2026
- Immigration Officers Unconstitutionally Detain Leo for a Third Time
linkedin.com·May 11, 2026
- Baldwin County man sues seeking injunction to bar ICE work site raids after 3 detentions
mynbc15.com·May 27, 2026
- Federal judge in Mobile now mulling case of Baldwin man arrested three times by ICE
mynbc15.com·May 27, 2026
- News | LegalTech Digest
- In lawsuit over construction raids, DHS official testifies ICE agents can't trust REAL IDs
reason.com·Jun 8, 2026
- ICE keeps detaining the same US citizen again, and again, and again. He’s fighting back.
- al.com
- CourtListener
- US Citizen ICE Detentions Lawsuit Survives Dismissal After Third Arrest - Law News
lawnews.co.uk·Sep 13, 2026
- al.com
- - YouTube
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