In brief
Leo Garcia Venegas, a construction worker and U.S. citizen from Alabama, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration's workplace immigration raids, arguing that they target individuals based on their appearance rather than actual status. The lawsuit highlights his own experiences of being detained without cause, and challenges the constitutionality of these enforcement practices.
An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was detained twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces. The class-action lawsuit, filed Tuesday by concrete worker Leo Garcia Venegas with the public interest law firm Institute for Justice, calls for an end to what the firm describes as 'unconstitutional and illegal immigration enforcement tactics.' Venegas, born in the U.S. and based in Baldwin County, Alabama, has experienced extensive population growth in the area and a surge of construction jobs in the last 15 years. Just weeks before the lawsuit, the Supreme Court lifted a restraining order preventing immigration agents from stopping individuals solely based on race or language. The lawsuit points out consistent raids on workplaces without warrants or evidence, leading to wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens, particularly those perceived to be Latino. Venegas recounts a May incident where he was forcefully detained, despite presenting his valid Alabama identification, and was later released. He expressed distress over the possibility of being targeted again, stating, 'It feels like there is nothing I can do to stop immigration agents from arresting me whenever they want.' The attorney from the Institute for Justice emphasized that immigration officers cannot operate above the law, advocating for the rights of all workers regardless of their appearance.
