BREAKING: Horror story hits the news as a toddler, mother, and grandmother are hauled off to an immigration detention c

[riversedge]

No doubt we will hear LOTS of these horror stories in the coming days.




BREAKING: Horror story hits the news as a toddler, mother, and grandmother are hauled off to an immigration detention center by Trump's goons because they were speaking Spanish — even though they're American citizens.

This is the worst case scenario...

According to a report from Telemundo Puerto Rico, the three innocent Americans were detained in Milwaukee and dragged off by U.S. officials.

A member of their family stated that they were minding their own business, shopping at a department store when they were detained. Their request to speak to officers was denied until they arrived at the detention center.

"My sister, speaking in English, explained that, not only are they American citizens, but that they are from Puerto Rico, they were born in Puerto Rico," said the family member. The individual spoke anonymously to Telemundo out of fear for their family.

The detained mother eventually produced documents including birth certificates, at which point the officials became apologetic — presumably because they're afraid of a lawsuit.

"I’m so sorry," said one official.

The family was then forced to call and pay for a ride from the facility, putting even more unfair strain on them.

It's still unclear which agency detained them, since ICE's mass detainment and deportation operations are being aided by U.S. Marshals, the DEA, and the FBI...............................

Link to tweet

[Marthe48]

1. brown shirts judging by the color of their skin

round 'em up, sort them out later. Maybe they should be called shit shirts.

Unbelieveable how many american bullies there are. Amazing howm many people are for sale to the lowest bidder.

[Xipe Totec]

39. Brown shirts led by brown nosers beholden to a brown stain. nt

[ShazzieB]

76. The color of their skin....and the language they spoke.

I'm not sure which is worse, but it's ALL one great big ball of horrific.

[Raiden70]

84. Pro Bono lawyer ...

... needs to rep the Puerto Ricans and sue whichever agency it was (or the individuals involved) for as much as possible.

These peoples' rights where denied them. ACLU, are you watching?

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Lawsuits is all they will understand.

And even there they will still have their jobs.

[TommyT139]

6. Doesn't so-called qualified immunity apply?

[mwooldri]

32. For a civil lawsuit?

Qualified immunity may come into the equation but the standard is lower in civil trials to win the case. Preponderance of evidence. Not beyond reasonable doubt.

Hate to say this... But get the right judge, and they're likely to prevail. Especially if they get a good lawyer who's willing to work pro bono for them.

[TommyT139]

59. I hope so....

...but if it's not clear which agency the thugs work with, it's hard to imagine even that level of consequences.

[mwooldri]

73. Dept of Homeland Insecurity.

Start with the former dog shooting governor and go down from there.

[cstanleytech]

47. There are limits even to that.

[sop]

51. Yeah, sue the motherf'ers.

Before it's over Trump will hold the record for most civil suits filed against his administration's goons. Like no other administration in history...believe me.

[womanofthehills]

72. Snoops -"What We Know About Reports That Puerto Rican Family Was Detained After Speaking Spanish in Store"

Snoops -
"The claims spread at a time of fear in immigrant communities over the Trump administration's promised deportation raids. Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 made the island a U.S. territory. At roughly the same time as the Milwaukee story, reports circulated from Newark, New Jersey, that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had carried out raids in neighborhoods and businesses in the city.

We reached out to ICE, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and local immigrant rights groups for confirmation of the story. Milwaukee Police Department said it was not aware of ICE activity in the city from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28 when Telemundo posted the story. Similarly, Mayor Cavalier Johnson's office said it had heard the story but had no specific information about it. We reached out to Milly Méndez, who reported the story for Telemundo, for further details about how the news outlet confirmed the reported events. We could not locate Telemundo's anonymous source to independently confirm the story.

Telemundo's anonymous source did not confirm the date or exact location of the alleged event, only saying that the family was stopped in a chain of stores that existed in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The report also did not specify which agency detained the family. An English-language report in the Latin Times named ICE as the agency that detained the family but provided no comment from the agency. We have reached out to ICE about whether it had arrested then released a family matching the description given by Telemundo's source.

Several Spanish-language outlets also picked up the story. However, none appeared to have spoken to Telemundo's source or anyone else who had witnessed the event, all instead referring back to Telemundo's reporting.

Did you witness this event, or have information about it that you we should know? Send us a tip.""


https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/01/30/puerto-rico-family-detained-spanish/

[LymphocyteLover]

3. JFC, the evil is on parade

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Thus proving DEI education is still needed for many government employees

who will unfairly discriminate against minorities without careful education and oversight.

[underpants]

8. Good point. Imagine if someone ends up at the Gitmo camp by mistake

One part of the Gitmo thing that scares me (it all does really) is people held there are going to have limited ability to talk to anyone including legal. As cruel as this is by Trump and Miller, I seriously doubt that a full robust legal operation is going to be set up there. Access in and out of Gitmo is very limited.

[ratchiweenie]

5. I bet they were at someplace like Walmart and some other shopper heard them speaking Spanish and called authorities.

Nazi Nation.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

50. Good point.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of Trumpers have ICE and other organizations on speed dial.

[allegorical oracle]

7. "The detained mother eventually produced documents...." That's stunning that we're

at this place in this "land of the free." My documents are in a safe deposit box because citizens have never had to worry about proving they belong here. Disgraceful.

[speak easy]

16. Papers! Schnell Papers!

[AdamGG]

81. ICE should need documents to start with

like arrest warrants for individuals that are approved by a judge before anyone can be detained.

It has to be unconstitutional for them to randomly arrest brown people who they hear speaking Spanish. I hope the ACLU and state AG's file lawsuits over this. Once all these federal officers have spent a while rounding up immigrants, it's not going to be that big a leap for them to start arresting Americans who are deemed undesirable.

[Think. Again.]

9. These people rounding up "immigrants"...

...probably didn't even know Puerto Ricans are American citizens.

[allegorical oracle]

24. True. Trump didn't when he went to P. R. to throw paper towels at people. He still may not.

[DENVERPOPS]

69. This

First they came for the Mexicans, and I did not speak out
Then they came for the Blacks, and I did not speak out
Then they came for the Asians, and I did not speak out
Then the came for all remaining immigrants, and I did not speak out
Then they came for the Gays, etc. and I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out....
Then they came for the Democrats, and there was no one left to speak out for me....

[Think. Again.]

70. That should be shared everywhere.

[calimary]

85. Exactly. And sadly.

And deeply infuriating.

[mwmisses4289]

10. Can LULAC or some other group

file an injunction, using the facts that a number of American born citizens are being detained. The worst one to me was the disabled vet who was detained.

[Nululu]

12. Show us your papers is here

It's called kidnapping. I'm fearful for the man who's been mowing our lawn for the past 25 years.

[Kid Berwyn]

13. "Garbage."

NAZIs first objectify good people.

[rasputin1952]

14. The sad part is...

This is going to get worse.

I get the impression that there will be ICE (name your other entity) in front of stores checking documentation.

There is a famous film from the late 1930s where a woman tried to bypass a Brown Shirt in front of a Jewish-owned store.
She and her husband set the thing up. He filmed her looking in the window, and as she tried to enter the store, the Brown Shirt physically blocked her. You can't hear the discussion, but the film speaks volumes.

This is sickening.

[JT45242]

15. I am hoping the local prosecutor ignores shield laws and nails these ICE asshats for kidnapping

If they did not follow procedure, they should be subject to illegal detention, kidnapping, or some other crime.

Put the fear of going to prison into these abuse and bully idiots.

Sinister six protected the president but not the minions who commit illegal acts.

[usregimechange]

17. Disgusting.

[Lonestarblue]

18. Anyone looking Hispanic or having a Hispanic name is now subject to deportation, legal or not.

I wish the media would start referring to these detainment facilities as Trump immigrant concentration camps. Even though the media won’t, we should in all public comments. Until my subscription runs out this summer, I will be using that description for comments on WaPo articles. I’m not on Bluesky, but using it there also spreads the negative vibe.

[BeyondTheVeilJack]

80. We need a catchy name

that sounds bad, like Hoovervilles did.

[spanone]

19. Got to make that quota

FUCK TRMP

[travelingthrulife]

56. Yup. I see so many more cops and sheriffs cruising in all sorts of unusual places lately

I am in a smaller town near san Diego

[Johnny2X2X]

20. It's based on race

Anyone brown looking and/or Spanish speaking is now a target, period.

I have 3 nieces who are half Mexican, none have spent a swingle day of their lives outside America, nor have either of their parents. All 3 speak a little bit of Spanish. I worry for them. Trump and his band of thugs are interested in ethnic cleansing, they want a whites only country, people need to understand this.

[dalton99a]

21. Kick

[Ilsa]

22. How long before kidnappings by nongovernmental

criminals start? How long young women, even girls, are trafficked?

[Red Mountain]

23. Yeah, but did they count for the quota?

[dalton99a]

27. +1

[EarthFirst]

30. This is exactly the result of enforcement quotas... nt

[3825-87867]

25. It'd be a real shame if these "agents" just "doing their jobs

names and/or addresses were somehow published. There should be no objection as they work for the government and are "just following order."
Who knows? Some of these agents could be your neighbors...or even go to the same house of worship as you!
That way other people could "thank" them for doing what tramp and miller wants done.

Do I need the sarcasm font?

[multigraincracker]

28. Dumb agents were going to deport them to Puerto Rico?

Next up deporting people to Hawaii

[Piasladic]

64. Or New Mexico - nt

[EarthFirst]

29. It's blatantly obvious that they are profiling their enforcement actions...

…and not based on criminality or recidivism as they claim.

[nuxvomica]

31. Milwaukee is more than 300 miles from the border

I thought they couldn't do this sort of thing without a warrant beyond the 100-mile limit.

[mwooldri]

35. I don't know TBH.

If it's border police, then I'm thinking you're right. Though if it's 100 miles from a port of entry then there's them thar airports.... If according to Dear Leader I believe George Washington was trying to defend?

My guess is that their authority is federal and limited to immigration and customs matters.

[cer7711]

33. "Your papers, please."

The US had always prided itself on NOT being an authoritarian regime where any passing brownshirt could accost a citizen with this chilling line.

Till now.

How despicably, inexcusably low we have fallen.

How long before Stephen Miller gloats on TV that multitudes have disappeared "into the night and fog"?

[Eugene]

34. Confirms the warning to people of color: keep your "papers" handy, you're going to need them.

Even Native Americans are getting caught up in this dragnet, as their tribal IDs are not deemed good enough.

Meanwhile, the MF47 administration has instituted arrest quotas for ICE agents. Expect this to get worse.

[Vinca]

36. At least they weren't shot. That's what I'm fearing. Especially since the trigger happy

Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are now in the mix.

[Jilly_in_VA]

37. Fucking idiots!

I'm really scared for my son-in-law, who's Puerto Rican, and a good number of my grandkids. Some of them are Afro-Latino and look it, some are "white" Latinos and don't look Latino at all, but the others could be stopped at any time. And even my daughter, who's about a 9the generation American but LOOKS Latino, could be stopped.....

I TOLD her to make sure everyone had passports or passport cards. I guess I'd bettter remind her again.

[Comrade Citizen]

38. War on the Hispanophone world

The US government is in a war against the over 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide.
I am preparing in the event that my family is arrested and put in a camp.

[nowforever]

40. There has always

been a simple answer to the immigrant issue. Impose a huge fine on any business that employs an undocumented worker, 10k a violation per person. And also a potential jailing of the business operator. It will never happen. They want their slave class workers it lowers costs tremendously. It's just they will now be in hiding and keep their children out of school the family will be less likely to seek medical care and the burden on community resources will be reduced. He just needs to inflict pain and suffering, a malignant narcissist must satisfy his needs. Psychopathy is open view.

[orangecrush]

41. Mobilze

Mobilize

Mobilize.

[wolfie001]

42. Trash president, trash party, trash voters

I have a lot of trump humpers in my family. They know I vote Democratic and we really DO NOT SPEAK to each other anymore. I recommend this treatment for all trump voters. Just my take. They can go fuck the hell off. Cheers

[patphil]

43. Back in the 70's Cheech Marin stared in the movie, "Born in East LA".

It was a comedy about a Mexican American citizen who was deported to Mexico as an illegal alien.
It turns out to be a foreshadowing of what is happening now, just like in Trump's 1st term.
Of course this is a tragedy, nothing funny about it at all.
What we know is that this is going to happen over and over until we vote these turds out of office.
ICE is morphing into a terrorist organization.

[sakabatou]

44. We all said this would happen

Citizens being hauled off, just because.

[YoshidaYui]

45. "PAPERS PLEASE ...SHOW ME YOUR OFFICIAL PAPERS. DON'T HAVE ANY ?

YOU ARE UNDER ARREST BY WORD OF THE PRSIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DONALD J GOD..... KING OF AMERICA

[moniss]

46. I can assure you from things I've heard come out of redneck mouths

over the years that a huge portion of GQP/MAGA doesn't really feel Puerto Ricans are "American" citizens.

[Orrex]

48. Exactly as intended, of course

[JanMichael]

49. Fuckers

[struggle4progress]

52. Moral: "That'll learn folks to spic spanish in Puerta Rica!"

[58Sunliner]

53. Who didn't see that coming.

[get the red out]

54. I am amazed about one thing

The only thing about this sickening abuse that amazes me is that the "authorities" figured out that Puerto Rican's ARE Americans.

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

55. Major media is IGNORING arrests of US Citizens for speaking Spanish

I have seen little to no news coverage of this in US media.

Yes the social media has it.
Latin media has it.

MSN
Latin Times

Reddit
Instagram

BUT the worthless corporate media is skipping reporting this

AND of course IF a you search GOOGLE and GOOGLE NEWS
There is almost NOTHING

[dickthegrouch]

82. Google is worthless

Capitulation to TFP over Gulf of Mexico.
They’ve been blocked in all my firewalls.

[Dem4life1234]

57. This same monster freed a bunch of violent thugs

I guess they were the right color!

No words can describe the amount of disgust I feel towards that "man".

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

58. Remember in Montana, same thing happened for Speaking Spanish. Sued the Police and settled for $$

Regarding the Spanish speaking US Citizens in Montana that were arrested
a few years ago —- they sued and won

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/25/women-speaking-spanish-montana-settle-border-patrol-lawsuit/6419004002/

2 US citizens detained for speaking Spanish in Montana store settle border patrol lawsuit
Nov 25, 2020

Two U.S. citizens have settled a lawsuit with Customs and Border Protection after they were detained by a Border Patrol agent who heard them speaking Spanish at a convenience store in Havre, Montana, and demanded that they show identification.

The monetary settlement was announced on Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi" Hernandez, alleging their constitutional rights were violated.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed at the request of the two women, said Cody Wofsy, a staff attorney with the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project in San Francisco.

The case shows that the attitudes of some agents in the Border Patrol are "completely out of step" with the growing number of Spanish speakers in all parts of the United States, Wofsy said.

[LeftInTX]

67. I remember that. I'm glad they sued!

[pfitz59]

60. The United States does not have an 'official' language

English AND Spanish are most commonly spoken, with many others in various regions. Most of us in DU don't care, but paranoid MAGA folk freak out when they can't eavesdrop. Their fevered pea brains work overtime: 'they're talking about me', or 'they're plotting a crime'. It's so sad.

[MacKasey]

61. I hope they SUE!!!!

[Meowmee]

62. Horrific

People better start carrying passports etc. with them.

[JustAnotherGen]

63. When they do this

Hauling off without cause - they need to pay for time lost from work, transportation, attorney's fees, etc. etc.

I know someone will come along and say 'theoretically we can't do that'.


Yeah - now we can't - but if this regime falls - those ICE Agents need to be held responsible and the country needs to reimburse these folks.

We CAN do that IF the regime falls. Just because it hasn't been done in the past - doesn't mean that post dictatorship America is going to be the same country with the same rules and regulations.

[FirstLight]

65. Go to the ACLU and sue the FUCK outta them!

[OldBaldy1701E]

66. Hear Hear! (n/t)

[Mr.WeRP]

68. Thank you. Came here to say this! Fuuuuuuuuuuccccckkkkk

[angrychair]

71. This all makes no sense

The Constitution is still the Constitution. Undocumented or not, the Constitution still applies. This is a clear violation of their 4th, 5th and 6th Amendment rights. You cannot just arrest someone without cause. Unless I missed something having brown skin is not a crime.

[totodeinhere]

74. They should have been furnished transportation home once it was determined that they were citizens.

The fact they were not was a real insult.

[JHB]

75. Cue the MAGAt in the comments (on other platforms, not here) who don't know Puerto Ricans are US citizens.

[Desert grandma]

78. It is because they are so woefully ignorant

and uninformed and uneducated. In other words, F'kin MORONS, like their corrupt lying FELON! leader!

[Evolve Dammit]

77. Cruelty is the whole point. Evil.

[FakeNoose]

79. I can remember when stories written by Occupy Democrats weren't even allowed on DU

It wasn't that long ago that Occupy Democrats was considered the worst kind of "click bait" fake news.

[pansypoo53219]

83. in milwaukee we have quite a few hispanics from many places. i worked w/ 2 puerto ricans. thriving taco trucks.

i saw a guam licence plate once. we also have a lot of brown native americans.