Grady County, GA Man Detained in Florida Amid Immigration Law Confusion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen born in Grady County, Georgia, was briefly detained in Florida this week after being arrested on a charge related to a controversial new state immigration law. The incident has ignited concerns about racial profiling and the potential for misapplication of immigration enforcement measures, even against American citizens.
Lopez-Gomez, who resides in Cairo, Georgia, was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over for speeding Wednesday by the Florida highway Patrol near Tallahassee, about 45 minutes from his home. He was traveling to Florida for his work in construction. according to an arrest affidavit, Lopez-Gomez was charged with being an “unauthorized alien enter Florida,” a charge aligned with Florida Senate Bills 4-C and 811.102–.103.
The state law, signed into effect by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in February, penalizes immigrants over 18 who “knowingly enter or attempt to enter this state after entering the United States by eluding or avoiding examination or inspection by immigration officers.” It was temporarily blocked by U.S.District Judge Kathleen Williams on April 4, a decision that was extended to April 29 during a hearing on Friday.
Despite the temporary block, Lopez-Gomez was arrested under the suspended law. His attorney, Mutaqee Akbar, says the situation highlights the dangers of racial profiling. “I think it shows the danger of the rhetoric,” Akbar said of Lopez-Gomez’s case. “We can be hard on immigration and want to protect the borders without profiling people as that is what this is: racial profiling.”
During a virtual hearing Thursday, Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans examined a copy of Lopez-Gomez’s birth certificate, presented by his mother, Sebastiana Perez, and verified its authenticity. “In looking at it, and feeling it, and holding it up to the light, the court can clearly see the watermark to show that this is indeed an authentic document,” Riggans said, according to the Florida Phoenix.
While Riggans acknowledged Lopez-Gomez’s U.S. birth certificate and found no probable cause for charging him with illegally crossing into Florida, she stated she lacked jurisdiction to release him due to a detainer request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).the detainer, effectively a request from ICE to local law enforcement, asks agencies to notify ICE before releasing a removable alien and to hold the individual for up to 48 hours. According to the Leon County arrest affidavit,“ICE stated they will place a detainer on both subjects.”
Lopez-Gomez was released Thursday evening. Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition who assisted Lopez-Gomez’s family, announced the release on X, posting, “He is free!! Thank you to everyone who shared, call(ed) and did anything to
