DHS Data Collection Endangers US Citizens
▼ Summary
– US citizen Leonardo Garcia Venegas was forcibly detained twice by immigration authorities in Alabama, despite presenting his REAL ID and stating his citizenship.
– Garcia Venegas is suing the government, with his lawyer suggesting citizens fitting a certain profile are seen as collateral damage in the enforcement system.
– A DHS spokesperson denies racial profiling, stating enforcement is based on “reasonable suspicion” of illegal presence, not race or ethnicity.
– At least 170 US citizens were reportedly detained by immigration authorities in the first nine months of 2025, indicating this is not an isolated case.
– The government is rapidly combining data across federal agencies, which could expand the number of people, including citizens, targeted by immigration policies.
Recent immigration enforcement actions have swept up not only undocumented individuals but also American citizens, raising serious concerns about the methods and data systems being employed. The case of Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen from Alabama, illustrates this troubling trend. In May, he was reportedly detained by immigration authorities at a construction site. According to his legal team, he identified himself as a citizen and presented his Alabama REAL ID, but officers allegedly tackled him to the ground, handcuffed him, and confined him in a vehicle for over an hour in intense heat. Less than a month later, he claims to have been detained again at a worksite, with officers allegedly dismissing his identification and citizenship claims once more.
Garcia Venegas has since filed a lawsuit against the government. In a court declaration, he states an officer told him his ID was “fake.” His attorney, Jared McClain of the Institute for Justice, suggests that for citizens who fit a certain demographic profile, authorities may view temporary detention as an acceptable cost of the current enforcement system, which includes quotas and performance incentives.
The Department of Homeland Security has forcefully rejected accusations of profiling. A DHS spokesperson stated that enforcement actions are based solely on whether someone is in the country illegally, not on race or ethnicity, and are conducted under the constitutional standard of “reasonable suspicion.” The spokesperson emphasized that allegations of racial profiling are false and that DHS operations are carried out without prejudice.
Despite these assurances, cases like that of Garcia Venegas appear far from isolated. Reports indicate that at least 170 U.S. citizens were detained by immigration authorities in just the first nine months of 2025. This situation may be poised to escalate due to a significant shift in federal data practices. The administration has been actively merging information from various government agencies to enhance immigrant surveillance. This consolidation of data risks ensnaring even more people, including citizens, in the expanding net of immigration enforcement, potentially subjecting them to detention and questioning based on flawed or misinterpreted information.
(Source: Wired)
