DHS's REAL ID hypocrisy [View all]

DHS’s REAL ID hypocrisy
Proof of legality isn’t a priority for immigration officials targeting the Latino community

By Jelinda Montes
Published February 12, 2026 6:30AM (EST)


(Salon) Leonardo Garcia Venegas went to work on a Wednesday at a private construction site in Foley, Alabama. It was a rainy day in May, and upon returning to the site with plastic sheets to protect freshly poured concrete, ICE had trespassed onto the development. He began filming and was promptly tackled to the ground, with no verbal commands. “I am a U.S. citizen,” he repeated over and over.

Venegas was detained for over an hour after showing his ID, according to the complaint from a lawsuit filed in federal court Sept. 30, 2025. “The officers told Leo that his STAR ID was fake, handcuffed him, removed him from his jobsite,” the complaint stated. His situation is not unique.

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Proving lawful residency with a REAL ID is apparently not enough for the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement officers as evidenced in this and at least three other cases cited in the lawsuit.

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The Venegas lawsuit claims that immigration officers are entering private construction sites without warrants, detaining lawful residents and citizens on presumption they’re undocumented and continue holding them, even after they present proof of legality like REAL IDs. Attorneys have also filed for class certification, which would allow the case to represent not individual plaintiffs, but an entire group of people — in this case U.S. citizens or lawful residents working at private construction sites. ..................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/12/dhss-real-id-hypocrisy/