Man Detained by ICE After Mistaken Identity Shares His Story

Detained After Mistaken Identity

• 🏗️ Victor Cruz, a construction worker with a permit to work legally, was detained by ICE agents while on his way home from work.
• 📸 Agents appeared to be looking for someone else, showing Cruz a picture of the person they were searching for.
• 😟 Cruz was scared and terrified, worried about his family and whether they knew he had been arrested.

Experience in Detention

• 🥶 Cruz was detained for three weeks in what he described as a cold facility with concrete benches.
• 🍽️ He noted that the food was not good, with long hours between meals.
• 📄 Despite having a work permit and deferred action status, he was still detained.

ICE's Response and Legal Opinion

• 🚫 A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that no one was arrested by mistake and that work status does not provide legal status.
• ⚖️ Cruz's lawyer believes the statement is an attempt to obscure the violation of Cruz's rights and that it doesn't make sense to grant deferred action status while simultaneously initiating removal proceedings.

Impact on Family and Future

• ⛓️ Cruz is now on ankle monitoring and has not had his work permit returned, preventing him from working and providing for his family.
• 😟 His wife is scared to go outside due to increased ICE activity in their neighborhood.
• 😥 Cruz expressed a desire to self-deport if detained again, stating he doesn't want to go through the nightmare again and wants to spare his family from further suffering.