ICE

This U.S. Citizen Is Suing ICE for Arresting Him 3 Times. His Lawsuit Is Moving Forward.

Despite carrying a REAL ID, Leo Garcia Venegas has been repeatedly detained by immigration agents. Now he’s suing to block immigration raids targeting Latinos on private construction sites.

Autumn Billings | 9.3.2026 5:21 PM

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(Credit: Photo courtesy of the Institute for Justice)

Leo Garcia Venegas, an American citizen and construction worker, has been arrested and detained by federal immigration officers, not once, not twice, but three times since the spring of 2025, despite carrying and presenting an Alabama REAL ID each time. A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that his lawsuit against the Trump administration for violating his Fourth Amendment rights can move forward. 

Venegas was working early on May 21, 2025, laying the foundation for a new home in Foley, Alabama, southeast of Mobile, when he saw "five armed men in camouflage" jump the property line fence and run toward the construction workers, according to his complaint filed in the Southern District of Alabama. Venegas quickly began recording on his phone after one of the officers physically assaulted his brother, another worker at the........

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