The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is going to proceed legally against the federal immigration authorities due to an arrest at an auto repair shop in Los Angeles, California. The arrest of a mechanic in South Los Angeles, that ultimately led to a deportation order was unlawful and warrantless, according to ACLU.
The mechanic, Juan Hernandez, got arrested at his workplace by six ICE agents that broke into the place porting guns and without identifying themselves. A security video from inside and outside the auto shop shows how the ICE agents drive into the entrance, and order Hernandez and three other mechanics “to freeze and put their hands up.”
The motion reads, “Without informing any of the men who they were or why they were arresting them, the agents proceeded to handcuff all of the employees. The only thing the officers knew about Mr. Hernandez when they decided to detain him was his place of business and his Latino appearance.”
Juan Hernandez lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. He worked at the shop for about seven years before his arrest. He never knew the officers were immigration agents until he and his coworkers got taken to an immigration facility in Adelanto.
On October 31st, he got released on a $5,000 bond. ACLU attorney Eva Bitran said, “ICE’s arrest-first-ask-questions-later approach to enforcement is not only unlawful, but it also has real, painful consequences for communities and families like Mr. Hernandez’s.”
Unfortunately, ICE is no stranger to that modus operandi. Back in September 2017, they approached a couple on the streets and interrogated the man, and asked him for identification.
The agents were not holding any ID’s, only carried a mugshot of a Latino person they confused with this man. They left when realized it was not the same man in the picture.
This article was inspired by CBS // Claiming ICE Detained Him Because Of ‘Latino Appearance,’ ACLU Files Motion To Prevent Deportation Of Mechanic