annaforflorida This is a student we were able to help alongside other organizations we are proud to work with. Thanks to @arroyolawfirm we were able to get him home quickly but it’s absurd that he was taken in the first place, and the entire time he was detained, ICE asked him multiple times if he wanted to self-deport. They kidnap people and then bully you to ignore your rights and advocate for yourself. More reasons for local governments to end all contracts with ICE. From the article: “Just before sunrise on a Tuesday in March, A.G., a Valencia College student, got into his car outside his east Orange County apartment to head to his job as a maintenance worker. Before he backed out of his spot, red-and-blue lights flashed behind him, and a man with “police” emblazoned on his vest knocked on his window. A.G., a Venezuelan national, handed over his valid driver’s license, work permit and Social Security card – the documents he thought protected him. Within minutes, he was handcuffed by immigration authorities in the back of an unmarked black SUV headed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Orlando office, setting into motion days of detention across Florida that have threatened to upend the life he’s built since coming to the United States five years ago. Though Florida leads the nation in immigration arrests since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, A.G’s case is unusual in Central Florida, as it involved ICE agents directly making a street-level arrest — and targeting someone who has no criminal record, nor even a speeding ticket. Court records show that A.G., who asked to be identified only by his middle initials as he is now fearful of attracting authorities’ attention, is lawfully in the country, has a pending asylum application, and holds a Florida driver’s license and other documents that allow him to work. He was released on his own recognizance in 2021 after entering the country as he fled political persecution in Venezuela and was granted Temporary Protected Status, a U.S. program that allowed Venezuelans to live and work here without fear of deportation. The Trump administration terminated TPS for Venezuelans last year.“ View all 26 comments