U.S. Sen. Mark Warner asked officials at the Department of Homeland Security and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to explain how a U.S. citizen came to be detained and handcuffed in Manassas, Virginia, earlier this month.
Jensy Machado, who says he voted for President Donald Trump, told Telemundo 44 that on March 5, ICE agents blocked in his pickup truck not far from his Manassas home as he headed to work with two other men. He said the agents initially refused to let him show his REAL ID-compliant Virginia driver’s license, proof of his lawful status in the U.S.
“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” he said. “I was telling the officer if I can give an ID, but he said to just keep my hands up and not moving. And then after that, he told me to get out of the car and then he put the handcuffs on me. And then he went to me and said how did I get into this country and if I was waiting for court or do I have any case? And I told him I was an American citizen, and he looked at his other partner, like, you know, smiling, like saying, ‘Can you believe this guy?’ Because he asked the other guy, ‘Do you believe him?’”
Machado said he was uncuffed and released after showing his driver’s license.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.
Video shows a "Trump 2024" sticker on his truck.
Warner’s letter to federal officials says, “U.S. citizens interacting with ICE who seek to prove their identity with identification or other documents that would assist ICE in determining their identity and immigration status should be permitted to do so.
“In this case, it is clear that the ICE agents misidentified this U.S. citizen, wasting valuable time and resources, and damaging ICE’s public image in the process.”
Machado said that during the traffic stop, the agents said the name of a man they were seeking for a deportation order, someone who had given Machado’s home address.
Machado said he told them that was not his name and he did not know anyone by that name.
In response to News4’s request for information, ICE said the officers engaged Machado to verify his identity based on reasonable suspicion, including a likeness to the description of the target of the removal order.
Warner’s letter follows up with a series of questions:
- Did ICE agents identify themselves as law enforcement? If so, how?
- Did they do so prior to drawing their weapons?
- What information about the person of interest did ICE have prior to stopping the U.S. citizen?
- If there is a photograph of the person of interest the agents mistook for the U.S. citizen, please provide it.
- And, were the ICE agents involved in the U.S. citizen’s detention counseled or disciplined?
Warner’s letter says the handling of the incident has raised concerns for the safety of Virginians and law enforcement officers both.
News4 emailed DHS and ICE for comment on Warner’s letter and is awaiting a reply.
Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.
