Baldwin Man Claims Third Illegal Detention Amid Ongoing Lawsuit Against ICE Raids

Leo Garcia Venegas, a Baldwin County man embroiled in a federal lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), claims he has been unlawfully detained a third time—this time right outside his Silverhill home. Venegas alleges that ICE agents, without issuing any lawful commands or asking questions, forcibly removed him from his car, tackled him to the ground, and shackled him despite his repeated assertions that he is an American citizen and showing his Alabama STAR driver’s license.

This latest incident, detailed in a sworn declaration, echoes the two previous detentions Venegas endured at construction sites where he was working. His lawyer, Jared McClain of the Institute for Justice, insists these repeated encounters reveal a broader unlawful enforcement operation by ICE targeting construction workers based solely on their appearance. “They refused to look at his REAL ID or accept it as evidence that he’s in the country lawfully, let alone a citizen,” McClain told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Mobile.

The lawsuit challenges what Venegas and his legal team describe as a policy of warrantless raids and preemptive detentions at construction sites. But the government disputes this characterization. Sam Ladd, representing the U.S. Attorney’s Office, argued that no such policy exists and that ICE actions are based on “reasonable suspicion and probable cause,” not on appearance alone. The government submitted an affidavit from PJ Lavoie, head of Homeland Security Investigations in Mobile, denying any policy of warrantless entry or preemptive detentions.

Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock’s main focus during Wednesday’s hearing was whether Venegas has “standing”—the legal right to bring the lawsuit. The court will decide on this threshold issue before potentially moving forward with motions to dismiss and requests for preliminary injunctions.

McClain countered that a single affidavit from a mid-level official cannot override the lived experiences of workers like Venegas. He pointed to public statements from high-level Trump administration officials endorsing aggressive ICE raids on construction sites without warrants. “They are conducting these stops without having any idea about who these people are, have no reason to believe they’ve done anything wrong,” McClain said. “It’s ‘no questions asked.’ It’s arrest first, ask questions later.”

The case shines a harsh light on ICE’s enforcement tactics under the Trump administration—tactics that raise serious Fourth Amendment concerns about unlawful searches and seizures. For Venegas, each month the lawsuit drags on is another chance to be wrongfully detained again. “Each month that goes by is another chance this happens again,” McClain said.

The judge will take up the standing issue and other motions at a later date, potentially including witness testimony. Until then, Venegas remains caught in the crosshairs of an immigration enforcement system that appears to disregard constitutional protections in the name of aggressive policing.