Federal immigration agents reportedly told a Texas man to shave his beard after he was wrongfully arrested in a case of mistaken identity.
Miguel Angel Ponce Jr., 33, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents pulled him over on July 23 just as he was leaving for work in Houston, according to a report by CBS affiliate KHOU.
Newsweek has contacted the man via social media and ICE for comment via email outside of office hours.
Andrea Renault/STAR MAX
Why It Matters
The case comes amid an unprecedented crackdown on immigration by the Republican-led government. President Donald Trump ordered his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status after he pledged to voters his government would carry out the largest mass deportations program in U.S. history. Trump has marshalled together state and federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate their efforts and ramp up arrests.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump vowed he would go after serious criminals, gang members, and cartel leaders, while individuals with lengthy criminal histories have been detained since his return to office, dozens of legal permanent residents and non-violent immigrants have been caught up in the immigration raids.
The White House has maintained that anyone living in the country unlawfully is considered to be a criminal by the administration. Critics argue the ICE raids sow fear into vulnerable immigrant communities.
What To Know
Ponce told CBS affiliate KHOU that when he gave the ICE agent his ID, they asked him to get out of the car.
“I pretty much felt kidnapped,” Ponce told the outlet. “[They] told me I have a deportation order, put me in handcuffs, and took me to another location.”
He repeatedly informed the agents that he was born in College Station, the outlet reported. Ponce said that the agents did not present a warrant, but instead showed him a photograph of a person they said he resembled.
More than an hour later, Ponce said he was able to convince the agents to compare his tattoos with those in the photo, which ultimately led to his release.
Having realised their mistake, agents took Ponce home, he said, telling the station: “They said: ‘Shave your beard off so we won’t mistake you again.'”
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said the agency was attempting to locate and arrest a violent offender in Houston who had been convicted of multiple child sex crimes and was considered an immediate threat to public safety.
What People Are Saying
An ICE spokesperson said in a statement to KBTX: “The individual with the same first, middle and last name bears a striking resemblance to the individual temporarily taken into custody by mistake.”
Ponce told KHOU: “Federal agents take an hour and a half, almost two, trying to figure out who I am. You know it just doesn’t make sense.”