DHS Slams Lawsuit Over Targeted Workplace Immigration Raids: 'Race-Baiting Opportunism'

An Alabama construction worker who says he was detained twice by federal immigration agents despite being a U.S. citizen has filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's workplace raid policies but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dismissed the case as "race-baiting opportunism."

The suit was filed Tuesday in federal court by Leo Garcia Venegas, a concrete worker from Baldwin County, Alabama, with support from the public interest law firm Institute for Justice. Venegas, who was born in Florida, alleges that immigration agents detained him at two separate construction sites in May and June even after he presented a valid Alabama-issued REAL ID.

According to the complaint, agents targeted workers "who looked Latino" while leaving others on site unchallenged. In one incident, Venegas was reportedly forced to the ground while recording his brother's detention. In another, he was escorted to an unmarked vehicle after being told his identification card was fake. He was released both times after agents verified his Social Security number.

"It feels like there is nothing I can do to stop immigration agents from arresting me whenever they want," Venegas said in a statement released by his attorneys. "I just want to work in peace. The Constitution protects my ability to do that."

"DHS law enforcement uses 'reasonable suspicion' to make arrests," responded Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement to The Associated Press. "What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S.—NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity." DHS also said Venegas was detained because he obstructed an arrest, noting that "any U.S. citizens arrested are because of obstructing or assaulting law enforcement."

Attorneys for Venegas say the case, however, goes beyond one individual. "Our case is fundamentally about the rule of law," said Jarred McClain of the Institute for Justice. "Our structure of government can't survive unless we stand up and protect the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution."

The lawsuit follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that lifted a restraining order against immigration agents in Los Angeles, allowing them to stop individuals based on race, language, or job location while broader legal challenges proceed.