Atilio Portillo was driving to work in east Charlotte early on a Wednesday morning when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents boxed in his truck with unmarked vehicles. According to Portillo, the agents smashed the truck’s windows and aimed guns at the people inside, including his brother and nephew. They also refused his requests for a warrant or a reason for the stop.

Portillo has lived in the United States since 1988 and became a citizen in 2013. Bystander video shared by the advocacy group Siembra NC shows him shouting that he is a U.S. citizen as agents cuff him. He says agents kept him in handcuffs for about 30 minutes while they checked his status. His nephew, also a citizen, was handcuffed too. His brother was taken into custody and is now being held in Georgia.

“They abused my rights. They treated me with violence,” Portillo told reporters, according to NC Newsline.

Advocates say this is not an isolated case. In February, four citizens and one visa holder sued in federal court in western North Carolina, claiming Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents held people without warrants. A new state law now requires local police to work with ICE, and advocates warn that stops like this could become more common.

DHS and ICE leaders must open an independent investigation into the Portillo arrest and share the findings with the public. They must also require agents to identify themselves, explain the reason for a stop and check citizenship before using force on anyone who says they are a U.S. citizen.

No citizen should be held at gunpoint on the way to work. Sign the petition to demand answers before another family goes through this.