U.S. citizen seeks $1 million after arrest, detention for recording immigration raid [View all]

Source: The Hill

07/02/25 9:06 PM ET


The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) said Wednesday they were preparing to initiate a $1 million lawsuit on behalf of a U.S. citizen detained in Los Angeles after recording a raid at a local Home Depot store.

The civil rights organization filed a claim against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the treatment of Job Garcia, 37, a Ph.D. student and photographer.

MALDEF said immigration officers threw Garcia on the ground, then knelt on his back and neck as they handcuffed him for recording the raid and advising a commercial truck driver being questioned not to exit his vehicle or answer questions from law enforcement. He was held in custody for more than 24 hours, according to the organization.

“Border Patrol and ICE punished me for informing others of their rights and for exercising my own rights,” Garcia said in a Wednesday release. He said that at no time did the agents warn him to move away or to stop recording before his arrest.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5382868-u-s-citizen-seeks-1-million-after-arrest-detention-for-recording-immigration-raid/