Overview

• MALDEF submitted its administrative claim on July 2 against ICE, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and other DHS agencies as a precursor to a federal lawsuit
• Job Garcia, a U.S. citizen and Ph.D. student, was tackled, thrown to the ground and held for more than 24 hours while filming an immigration raid at a Hollywood Home Depot
• The claim accuses agents of assault, battery, false arrest and racially motivated targeting in violation of Garcia’s First and Fourth Amendment rights and due process
• DHS contends Garcia verbally harassed and assaulted an agent, asserting the detention was lawful before he was released without charges or arraignment
• The action underscores intensified legal scrutiny of aggressive ICE tactics and the potential liability for misdetaining U.S. citizens during public enforcement operations