Fernando Vazquez, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen in the Triangle, claims he was unlawfully detained by Border Patrol agents who mistook him for an undocumented immigrant. Posted 11/20/2025, 3:49:13 AM Updated 11/20/2025, 5:19:01 PM Local man shares experience of being mistakenly picked up by immigration enforcement By Willie Daniely, WRAL News Fernando Vazquez, 18, says he was unlawfully detained by Border Patrol agents while he was at work in Cary. Vazquez told WRAL that the agents confiscated his wallet and placed him in the back of a vehicle. "They took me two miles down the street. And another Hispanic man asked me, 'Where are you from?' I said I'm from here and then he also asked me 'Where were you born?' I said this is where I was born." Other WRAL Top Stories Despite asserting that he was born in the area, Vazquez says he was only released after the agents realized their mistake, unceremoniously tossing his belongings to the ground. This incident has left him without several personal items, including his college and high school IDs and his AirPods. "They just threw it. They didn't care. They treated me like a dog, basically. It was unreal," says Vazquez. It was part of several detainments across North Carolina since Saturday. According to immigration authorities, more than 250 people have been detained in Charlotte. It is unclear how many people total have been detained in the Triangle. The sweeps have put Triangle residents on edge, resulting in protests in multple cities and forcing some places on lockdowns due to immigrations agents. Vazquez tells WRAL he believes he was targeted because he is Latino. "They saw me. They saw the color of my skin. And they were like Let's get him," said Vazquez. Vazquez was not alone in this ordeal. He says another Hispanic man was also detained in the car. "When I was about to get out of the car, that Hispanic man told me, ‘Tell my brother that they got me.’ And that's what broke my heart, bro," said Vazquez. "Watching how two brothers got separated in front of my eyes. I couldn't believe it." We asked Vazquez what he would say to people who would argue that the agents were doing their jobs. He said he understands that they are real people who need to get paid, but he wants them not to target random people due to what they look like. "If you're going to do your job, do it right. Stop harassing these people who are not doing anything wrong, just working hard," said Vazquez. WRAL reached out to immigration authorities to learn more about this incident and asked if there are any ramifications for agents detaining legal citizens. ICE responded to WRAL News, saying they were not involved in the incident. More on this Federal immigration agents have detained people throughout the Triangle area, with much of the activity centered in Durham. Federal immigration agents are active in Raleigh this week, raising concerns among residents and legal experts about their operation and the response of the community. In a video of a meeting with voters, Arizona Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters said of undocumented immigrants: "Not only will you not be deported, but we'll treat you better than U.S. military veterans." PolitiFact checks the numbers. © 2026 Copyright Capitol Broadcasting Company