‘They’re Just Following Hispanic People’: Trump Voter Detained by ICE at Gunpoint Despite Being U.S. Citizen, Reconsiders Support After Wrongful Stop
A Hispanic man from Virginia who voted for President Donald Trump found himself caught up in the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration last week, with ICE agents detaining him at gunpoint despite being a naturalized American citizen.
As it turned out, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were actually searching for another man facing deportation, but for Jensy Machado — the man forced to pull over and prove his legal status — the damage had already been done.
Machado said he believed that Trump would be singularly focused on criminals, not each and every Hispanic person going about their daily life.
“That’s what they’re doing, now,” Machado told Telemundo 44’s Rosbelis Quinoñez, the reporter who broke the story. “They’re just following Hispanic people.”
The Trump administration has directed ICE to intensify its efforts in locating immigrants without permanent status, aiming to execute the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
The traffic stop occurred in the district of Democratic Rep. Don Beyer, who shared the incident on his social media on Friday after seeing news reports about it.
“He offered to show ID and told the officers he was an American citizen, but they handcuffed him anyway,” Boyer wrote on X. “The man is a Trump voter, but says he is reconsidering his support after he was targeted for being Hispanic.”
Beyer isn’t the first lawmaker to voice concern about the detainments. In February, Rep. Jamie Raskin called for answers from ICE officials after seeing a rise in reports of wrongful detentions.
“If you’re not out looking for criminals based on crimes committed, but undocumented immigrants based on their looks, you’re going to sweep up a lot of innocent people, including innocent citizens,” the Maryland Democrat said, according to a statement obtained by NBC News.
“We’ve already seen cases of racial and ethnic profiling leading to the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens. That’s why I’m demanding answers about some of these profoundly troubling stories we’ve heard about citizens being targeted, detained and questioned,” he added.
Machado said he was driving to work on March 5 with two other men when ICE agents stopped him near his home in Manassas, Virginia, and placed him in handcuffs.
Perplexed by the situation, Machado stated he didn’t understand what was going on or why agents had singled him out, surrounding his pickup truck.
“They just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, ‘turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window,’” Machado told Telemundo 44. “Everything was really fast.”
Machado explained that the agents mentioned the name of a man with a deportation order, someone who had apparently provided them with Machado’s home address.
Machado insisted they had the wrong guy, that he didn’t recognize the person they mentioned, and offered to show his Virginia driver’s license to clear up the confusion.
“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” Machado told the network. “I was telling the officer if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving. After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me.”
An agent then asked Machado how he had entered the country, whether he was awaiting a court date, or if he had any pending immigration case.
“And I told him I was an American citizen,” Machado said. “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?’”
After presenting his driver’s license, Machado said the officers removed his cuffs and promptly let him go. However, the two men with him were taken into custody, though Machado remains unsure why.
Machado said the experience undermined his support for Trump’s immigration policies, feeling that his vote for the president had backfired in an unexpected way.
“I was a Trump supporter,” he said. “I voted for Trump last election.”
Immigration lawyers say even citizens now need to carry identification with them at all times.