KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A Kissimmee man detained by ICE at the Grand Canyon is trying to get back home.
It’s a story we’ve heard from several legal immigrants here in Central Florida: They’re questioned by ICE, provide documentation, but are still taken into custody, leaving them few options if they can’t afford an attorney.
It’s also what Ricardo Dominguez tells News 6 happened with his boyfriend on Memorial Day.
“It took almost two weeks for me to be able to find out where he was,” Dominguez said. “It’s been stressful because we were supposed to be getting married.”
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Dominguez explained that his boyfriend, Juan, an immigrant from Brazil, was sightseeing at the Grand Canyon when he was detained.
“Instead of the regular, I guess, park rangers, ICE was there waiting,” Dominguez said. “They asked him and another one of his colleagues for identification, and he did have identification. He has a Florida ID.”
Since Juan is in the process of getting his green card, has an ID, and a work permit, it was a shock to find out he was in an Arizona ICE detention center.
“There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to identity verification,” Dominguez said. “What they’re supposed to have, whether they should have their passports with them or just an ID.”
Last week, an Osceola County woman shared a similar experience with ICE.
“It was humiliating,” Jennifer Rodriguez Jimenez said in Spanish during a press conference at her attorney’s office.
A Venezuelan immigrant with an active asylum case, Rodriguez Jimenez was in a Texas detention center for over two months while her attorneys fought to get her out after she was arrested in late March, accused of a misdemeanor that was dropped before she was sent to the Lone Star State.
“It is unacceptable that individuals who are here legally, pursuing their immigration processes, are being treated this way,” said Josephine Arroyo, her attorney. “Our immigration enforcement system is punishing people simply for being accused, not convicted, of a crime.”
As Dominguez raises money for legal help, he isn’t losing hope and encourages others dealing with similar situations to keep pushing.
“Fight for your family. Fight for your friends. If you know anybody who’s going through this, try to help them out,” he said.