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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Juan Gaspar-García, a 22-year-old diabetic man with Down syndrome, during a workplace raid and kept him detained for three weeks before releasing him to his outraged Florida community.
According to the Miami Herald, “federal authorities insist that it was not an immigration raid but a ‘criminal search’ conducted at the business.” Yet both Gaspar-García and his brother, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, were swept up. Under DACA requirements, applicants must pass a background check. Gaspar-García is DACA-eligible, but had not applied for protections.
“My brother does not have the ability to understand certain situations without a proper explanation because he has Down syndrome, and probably does not understand why he is there or what is happening,” his sister Dolores Gaspar-García said during his detention. “He also has diabetes, he takes medication and it is very important that he is with us so we can take care of his special needs.”
ICE initially released the DACA-protected sibling—his name is not yet available—but kept Gaspar-García detained, with threats to deport him to Guatemala. Gaspar-García came to the U.S. at just 14 following his mom’s death. His siblings and dad all live in Florida, meaning he would be deported to a country where he’d have no one to help care for him.
“We are a family of four,” his sister continued. “Juan is the oldest but we have always seen him as the youngest due to his developmental delays. In reality he does not know how to read, write or express himself well and stutters when he gets nervous. I’m sure he needs me right now.” According to ICE, detainees identified as having “a cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disability” may be referred to a “multidisciplinary team,” but it’s unclear if this happened for Gaspar-García.
But following community outcry and a petition from Dolores, ICE released him to his family. According to the Miami Herald, he “still faces possible deportation but can now stay with his family while the case is pending in immigration court. Gaspar-García must attend hearings in Miami.” Advocates are continuing to ask supporters to sign his petition here. And, because Gaspar-García can’t apply for DACA, it highlights the urgency to pass permanent protections.
This isn’t the first time federal immigration agents have targeted immigrants with disabilities and special needs. Last year, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained a 10-year-old Rosamaria Hernandez, a Texas girl with cerebral palsy, and for ten days refused to release her to family. This is intentional cruelty on the part of federal immigration agents, and it’s being enabled by the Trump administration that unleashed them.
Remember, when Donald Trump and his administration officials claim they’re targeting dangerous people for arrest, they’re lying to you. Just ask Juan and Rosamaria.