A U.S. citizen, Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, was released from a Florida jail late Thursday after spending a night behind bars due to an ICE hold.
The 20-year-old American man was initially arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol during a routine traffic stop on Wednesday when the car he was riding in was pulled over.
Although Lopez-Gomez is a U.S. citizen, he was charged with being an “unauthorized alien” and briefly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under a 48-hour immigration detainer.
Lopez-Gomez, originally from Grady County, Georgia, and currently living in Cairo, Georgia, was traveling to Tallahassee for his construction job when the traffic stop occurred.
His attorney, Mutaqee Akbar, and supporters worked to secure his release, which came after a court hearing earlier on Thursday.
Lopez-Gomez’s mother, Sebastiana Perez, provided the court with his birth certificate, which Judge LaShawn Riggans confirmed was authentic, ultimately finding no probable cause for the charge against him.
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Despite the lack of legal justification for the arrest, Lopez-Gomez remained in custody due to the ICE hold, which is often used to notify authorities of individuals deemed removable by ICE.
This detainer was questioned, as Lopez-Gomez’s citizenship was clearly established, and no other legal reasons were given for his detention.
After court proceedings, Lopez-Gomez was told by ICE detention officers that he would be released by Thursday evening, a promise that was fulfilled.
In the wake of his release, Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, celebrated the outcome, thanking the public for their support. Kennedy shared a photo of Lopez-Gomez smiling and surrounded by family and supporters.
The case highlights growing concerns about the intersection of local law enforcement and federal immigration policies. Attorneys, including those from the Community Justice Project, expressed frustration, calling the detention of a U.S. citizen under an ICE hold “unlawful.”
The controversy follows a broader legal battle in Florida over laws targeting undocumented immigrants, particularly SB 4-C, which was temporarily blocked earlier this month by a judge.
