He was held by police for over 30 hours despite being a U.S. citizen

Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a U.S. citizen born in Georgia, was arrested by Florida police in mid-April after being labeled an “unauthorized alien” while traveling to Florida for a construction job. He was held in jail for more than 30 hours because of an ICE detainer, even after his mom proved his citizenship in court. AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan spoke with Juan Carlos and his mother about the trauma of the arrest, the racial profiling they believe played a role, and the impact it’s had on their family and community. As they are still processing the arrest, mother and son have yet to cross the state line and return to Florida for work. Lopez-Gomez’s attorney, Mutaqee Akbar, said his client’s attempt to declare citizenship and provide documentation to the officer is exactly what he should have done during the encounter. Akbar also said he is discussing a possible wrongful arrest lawsuit. Credits: AJC | @LlanosJackie / X | @tomaskenn / X | Silvia Alba / WTXL