SAN ANTONIO — Immigration officials have arrested a former DACA recipient protesting the separation of families at the border.
On August 3, Sergio “Mapache” Salazar was taken into custody outside of the of the San Antonio ICE offices by ICE officers and then transported to the Pearsall Detention Center.
According to RAICES, Salazar had stepped away from protesters, when he was arrested and forced into the back of a truck by ICE officials. He was then allegedly taken to an area behind a nearby abandoned Walmart, where officers confiscated his personal items, shackled him, and placed him in a van.
It was at the Pearsall Detention Center that he was informed that his DACA renewal had been denied on August 2
RAICES says that Salazar was told by authorities at Pearsall Detention Center that his DACA status was not renewed because he had been a "bad person." Authorities requested Sergio to provide information on protesters in exchange for help with his DACA renewal. When he declined to speak to the FBI, he was then transferred to Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas.
RAICES states Sergio has lived in the U.S. since he was two years old and has never been in trouble with the law.
KENS 5 reached out to ICE about the arrest of Sergio Salazar and what charges he was facing and received the following response:
“On Aug. 3, 2018, officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Sergio Samuel Salazar-Gonzalez, 19, from Mexico for being in violation of federal immigration law. DHS will not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to enforcement proceedings, up to and including removal from the United States.”
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not target unlawfully present aliens for arrest based on advocacy positions they hold or in retaliation for critical comments they make. Any suggestion to the contrary is irresponsible, speculative and inaccurate. ICE prioritizes its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. Target information is based on intelligence-driven leads – this may include open source information.
