Stand with Leo: Demand ICE Stop Arresting U.S. Citizens Without Cause
The Issue
On the morning of May 2, Leo Garcia Venegas stepped out of his truck in Silverhill, Alabama. He had his Alabama REAL ID in hand. He was a U.S. citizen, on his way to work. Within seconds, federal ICE officers pulled him from his vehicle, tackled him to the ground, and shackled him at both arms and legs.
It was the third time this has happened to him.
"Still without asking me a single question or issuing any lawful commands, the officers pulled me out of my car, tackled me to the ground, and shackled me around both my arms and legs," Venegas said in a court declaration. "The officers did not listen when I said I was a citizen and they showed no interest in looking at my Alabama Star ID, even though it is a REAL ID issued only to people who can prove their lawful status."
Venegas is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice, challenging DHS policies that allow immigration agents to raid private construction sites and detain workers without reasonable suspicion based on their appearance. He was arrested twice during construction site raids in 2025. He is suing the federal government for those arrests. He was then arrested a third time anyway.
The legal contradiction runs deep. DHS argues that REAL ID cannot reliably confirm U.S. citizenship. DHS is the very agency that certifies REAL IDs as proof of lawful status.
Venegas is not alone. ProPublica identified at least 170 Americans detained by ICE. A U.S. Army veteran was tear-gassed and jailed for three days during a California raid. A construction worker in the Florida Keys had a gun held to his head by a federal agent on private property without a warrant.
"It's arrest first, ask questions later," said Jared McClain, an Institute for Justice attorney. "These aren't the brief investigatory stops based on individualized suspicion that the Supreme Court has allowed."
We are calling on Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to require ICE to accept government-issued REAL ID as valid evidence of citizenship, end warrantless raids on private worksites, and stop detaining U.S. citizens without probable cause.
Leo Garcia Venegas is an Alabama construction worker and an American citizen. He should not have to prove that a fourth time.
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The Issue
On the morning of May 2, Leo Garcia Venegas stepped out of his truck in Silverhill, Alabama. He had his Alabama REAL ID in hand. He was a U.S. citizen, on his way to work. Within seconds, federal ICE officers pulled him from his vehicle, tackled him to the ground, and shackled him at both arms and legs.
It was the third time this has happened to him.
"Still without asking me a single question or issuing any lawful commands, the officers pulled me out of my car, tackled me to the ground, and shackled me around both my arms and legs," Venegas said in a court declaration. "The officers did not listen when I said I was a citizen and they showed no interest in looking at my Alabama Star ID, even though it is a REAL ID issued only to people who can prove their lawful status."
Venegas is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice, challenging DHS policies that allow immigration agents to raid private construction sites and detain workers without reasonable suspicion based on their appearance. He was arrested twice during construction site raids in 2025. He is suing the federal government for those arrests. He was then arrested a third time anyway.
The legal contradiction runs deep. DHS argues that REAL ID cannot reliably confirm U.S. citizenship. DHS is the very agency that certifies REAL IDs as proof of lawful status.
Venegas is not alone. ProPublica identified at least 170 Americans detained by ICE. A U.S. Army veteran was tear-gassed and jailed for three days during a California raid. A construction worker in the Florida Keys had a gun held to his head by a federal agent on private property without a warrant.
"It's arrest first, ask questions later," said Jared McClain, an Institute for Justice attorney. "These aren't the brief investigatory stops based on individualized suspicion that the Supreme Court has allowed."
We are calling on Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to require ICE to accept government-issued REAL ID as valid evidence of citizenship, end warrantless raids on private worksites, and stop detaining U.S. citizens without probable cause.
Leo Garcia Venegas is an Alabama construction worker and an American citizen. He should not have to prove that a fourth time.
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Petition created on May 12, 2026