ICE Detains U.S. Citizen and Questions Him About His Immigration Status

• US Citizen Detained by ICE
• DHS Explains the Detention
• Questioning Sparked Controversy

A US citizen said he was temporarily detained by immigration agents in Maryland, who handcuffed him and questioned him about his immigration status before releasing him without charges.

Samuel Guzmán said that on Sunday, June 7, he was on his way to work in Annapolis when he decided to stop for coffee.

As he left the establishment, he saw several vehicles he identified as belonging to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

According to his account, an agent approached him and shortly afterward he was handcuffed.

US Citizen Detained by ICE in Maryland

Guzmán said the agents began asking him questions about his immigration status, while he insisted that he was born in the United States.

“I tried to tell him I was from here, but he didn’t believe me,” Guzmán said, according to Telemundo.

He also said he tried to show his driver’s license to identify himself.

However, he claimed the agents took his cellphone, car keys, and wallet.

He later said he was placed in an official vehicle and taken to another nearby parking lot.

Questioning in Spanish and Refusal to Allow a Call

Once at the new location, Samuel Guzmán said an agent began questioning him in Spanish.

“‘Where are you from? Tell me the truth. What are you doing here?’” he recalled being asked.

The citizen said he repeatedly answered that he had been born in the United States and did not know why he was being detained.

“And I answered that I was born here. I don’t know why they are arresting me, why they are detaining me. I don’t know,” he said.

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According to his testimony, during the questioning they also asked him for identification.

Samuel Guzmán explained that the agents already had access to his information because they had taken his personal belongings.

He also said he asked to make a phone call while he was detained. However, he claimed that request was denied.

After nearly two hours, according to his account, he was taken back to the place where he had initially been stopped.

There, the agents released him. Guzmán said he never received an explanation for the detention.

DHS Says the Detention Happened During an Immigration Operation

The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, later responded to the accusations.

The agency said ICE agents stopped a vehicle registered to a person who is in the country illegally.

Samuel Guzmán explained to Telemundo 44 that he bought the car from an acquaintance last year.

However, he acknowledged that he had not yet transferred the registration into his name.

According to a DHS spokesperson, during the identification process, a situation arose that prompted agents to move the driver.

“During the process of identifying the individual, several agitators gathered and attempted to interfere with the operation,” the agency said.

DHS added that the change of location was carried out as a preventive measure and for the safety of the agents and the person being detained.

The department explained that after verifying Samuel Guzmán’s identity and confirming that he was a US citizen, he was released.

“As a precautionary measure and for the safety of our agents and the detained individual, ICE agents decided to change locations to continue the interview. After verifying the driver’s identity and determining that he was a US citizen, agents released him immediately,” the agency said.

DHS also maintained that during immigration operations, agents may encounter people who are not the original targets of an investigation.

According to the department, officers are trained to ask questions intended to determine the identity and immigration status of the people they come into contact with during these procedures.