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Notes -
https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/04/17/u-s-born-man-held-for-ice-under-floridas-new-anti-immigration-law/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/us-born-citizen-detained-ice-immigration-florida-rcna201800
A Florida State Trooper claimed a natural born citizen admitted to entering the country illegally. Thankfully, his family was able to prove his citizenship to a state judge. Unfortunately, ICE requested Florida keep him in custody, for an as-yet not-public reason, and Florida has done so, despite the citizen not being charged with any state crime, other than an unenforceable statute against illegal immigrants entering Florida, of which he was already proven innocent, even if it were enforceable. He was later released, thankfully.
Any data on the rate of these sorts of things happening, in the past? Should or shouldn't this be worrying and why?
This seems like a non-story because Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was released the same day as his court hearing.
Here's an article that includes timelines: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/us-born-american-citizen-ice-hold-florida-released-rcna201854
It looks like Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was arrested on Wednesday (possibly Thursday, very early AM). He saw a judge on Thursday afternoon. He was held for a few hours after the hearing because of an ICE request, before being released on Thursday evening.
I don't want to say that an incorrect arrest is ever good; but if the cops were acting in good faith, then nothing here seems to shock the conscience. It feels like the equivalent of the police seeing someone breaking into a car at 3AM, getting an explanation of "But officer! That's my car! I just misplaced my keys!" and then releasing the person the next day when it's proven that they do - in fact - own the car.
Even the "Immigrations and Customs Enforcement" hold (which was apparently a few hours) doesn't seem that stunning. Federal law requires everyone - citizens included - to cross the border at an authorized checkpoints. So, if the police believed that Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez crossed the border illegally then ICE could want to talk to him about not complying with customs rules, even if he's a citizen.
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