May 25 (UPI) -- An American citizen born in the United States was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers despite having a REAL ID. He was later released from custody after providing his Social Security number.
The incident was first reported by Noticias Telemundo, which obtained video footage of a raid that led to the arrest of 25-year-old Leonardo Garcia Venegas at a job site in Alabama.
The video shows ICE officers grabbing Venegas and putting handcuffs on him before someone off-camera yelled that he was a citizen. He told the broadcaster that authorities took his ID from his wallet before handcuffing him and dismissed it as fake.
"We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for," his cousin Shelah Venegas said. "He has his REAL ID and then they see him and I guess because his English isn't fluent and/or because he's brown, it's fake."
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