DACA recipient Jose Valdovinos detained after Yuma traffic stop; agents refused to explain why
Aug 13, 2025·Location: Yuma, AZ
Country of origin: Mexico

Jose Valdovinos, a 27-year-old DACA recipient who has lived in Arizona since he was a toddler, was detained by Border Patrol on August 10, 2025, after he and his wife, U.S. citizen Jitzell Flores, left a Circle K gas station near downtown Yuma. When Flores asked why he was being taken, an agent said, 'We don't have to give it to you.' Valdovinos, who works packaging Medjool dates at Datepac, has no criminal record, pays taxes, renewed his DACA status every two years, and was pursuing permanent residency. DHS said the vehicle was stopped for 'driving in a suspicious manner' and stated that 'DACA does not confer any form of legal status.' Flores called the stop racial profiling. The Mexican Consulate visited him and connected his family with an attorney before his transfer to the Florence Service Processing Center. Weeks later, he was released with an ankle monitor.
Timeline
Sources
- ACLU
- DACA recipient detained by Yuma border patrol raising questions about protections
azfamily.com·Aug 12, 2025·archived copy
- CBP official says Yuma DACA recipient to remain in custody
KAWC·Aug 14, 2025·archived copy
- DACA recipient targeted by immigration officials
- Recent arrests of two DACA recipients in Yuma area spark concern
azfamily.com·Aug 13, 2025·archived copy
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