A federal court has ordered immigration officers in Alabama to stop warrantless raids of private construction sites and to stop detaining workers without individualized suspicion.
The ruling comes after construction worker and U.S. citizen Leo Garcia Venegas was detained 3 times—even though he repeatedly presented a state-issued REAL ID.
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During the most recent incident, officers followed Leo home, ripped him from his car, tackled him, handcuffed and shackled him, and locked him in the back of a vehicle.
Now, while Leo’s class-action lawsuit continues, the court has blocked DHS policies that allowed officers to:
👉 Enter private construction sites without a warrant or consent
👉 Detain workers without a reason to suspect a specific individual is undocumented
👉 Detain workers after they provide evidence of citizenship or lawful presence
ij.org/press-release/federal…
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“For the first time in a long time, I will be able to go to work without worrying that I will be arrested for no reason,” Leo said. “Americans cannot be stopped and held by law enforcement when they are doing nothing wrong.”
By setting aside those unconstitutional policies, the court has restored the rule of law—and it means construction workers like Leo can finally go to work in peace again.
Sep 21, 2026 · 4:31 PM UTC
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