ICE interventions: Another citizen mistakenly detained was released in Florida
The U.S. citizen's release came after his immigration status was verified. Human rights organizations and the young man's family had to intervene to ensure this happened.
Juan Carlos López-Gómez, 20, of Georgia, was arrested in Florida after a routine traffic stop on suspicion of being an “unauthorized alien.” The incident occurred while he was heading to his construction job in Tallahassee. Despite being a U.S. citizen, he was held in the Leon County Jail following a 48-hour detainer request issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
López-Gómez was released the next day after his mother presented his birth certificate during a court hearing. Judge LaShawn Riggans verified the authenticity of the document and declared there was no probable cause for the charges related to illegal entry into the state, although he noted that he did not have jurisdiction to order his release due to the ICE detainer.
Legal inconsistencies and questions about SB 4-C
The case has drawn criticism of Florida's SB 4-C law, which criminalizes the entry of undocumented immigrants into the state, although it is currently suspended by court order. López-Gómez's arrest has highlighted the risks of enforcing this law without prior verification of an individual's immigration status. According to Thomas Kennedy, spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, the law was misused in this case.
Alana Greer, director of the Community Justice Project, noted that the arrest reflects structural failures in cooperation between state and federal agencies. Although there was no dispute that López-Gómez was a U.S. citizen, he was held in custody solely on the basis of an ICE request, which, according to Greer, constitutes an unlawful detention.
Reactions and institutional silence
So far, ICE, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the León County Sheriff's Office have not issued public statements regarding the incident. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security indicated that the case is under investigation. Meanwhile, immigrant rights organizations warn of the potential for similar situations to recur.
López-Gómez's family received support from activists and lawyers, who questioned the procedures followed by local authorities. The incident has rekindled the debate over the use of immigration detention against people not subject to immigration proceedings and has generated calls to review policies regarding collaboration between local and federal agencies.