"Shortly after 8 a.m., Carreto's phone rang. It was Carlos, telling her an officer with the Florida Highway Patrol had pulled over the truck on Interstate 4 near Tampa. The stated reason: cracks in their windshield. But Carreto was worried. She knew Florida police were collaborating with federal immigration authorities. Her fiancé was undocumented. She says she rushed to the scene and made it there just before the immigration officers."
"As she feared, Matias had been detained. But to her surprise, so had Carlos. He was just a kid. (ProPublica is only identifying Carlos by his first name because he is a minor.) Carlos was in high school. He'd been living in the United States for over two years and was working toward applying for legal status to stay long term. The government had given her, a legal resident, custody of him. Now he was in handcuffs. Why would they take him too?"
"Carreto didn't carry any proof that she had custody of the boy. She had left it in another car in her rush. She recalls officers saying her nephew would likely be released to her in a few days once she presented the proper documents. Before they drove him away, Carlos started to tear up. Carreto told him, "Don't cry. I don't know how, but I'll get you back. Understand?""
A traffic stop for a cracked windshield on Interstate 4 near Tampa led Florida police, working with federal immigration authorities, to detain an undocumented man and his 15-year-old nephew. The nephew, a high school student who had lived in the United States for over two years and sought legal status, was in the custody of a legal resident. The custodian had left proof of custody in another car and could not present it when officers arrived. Officers indicated the nephew would likely be released after proper documents were shown. The boy was handcuffed and tearful before being taken away, while family members scrambled for his return.
Read at Truthout
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