On Wednesday, December 3, a scene was recorded in Key Largo, Florida that quickly went viral: A woman in a medical gown was forced out of her car by police officers. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)while repeatedly screaming that she was an American citizen. Now he gave his version of what happened.
The incident occurred around 9:15 a.m. in the southbound lanes of US 1, in front of the Pink Plaza shopping center. Officers stopped a white Toyota and surrounded the vehicle. The woman on board, a behavioral therapist, said she was intimidated from the start.
“To clarify: I rolled down the window when they stopped me. “Any statement that says I refused to do this is completely false,” he said in the statement he sent to the Miami Herald.
Furthermore, the citizen added: “When you open my door you can clearly see that I have the window down, which shows that I delivered from the start.”
Regarding the contact with federal officials, the woman added, “Before I could even reach for my driver’s license, people surrounded my vehicle They threatened to break my window, which created fear and pressure rather than giving me a moment to comply.“.
“They aggressively dragged me out of my vehicle, grabbed my phone out of my hand and handcuffed me.”he said in the statement.
As the drivers passed by, the woman screamed for help: “I am an American citizen. Please help me! That’s unfair. “Why are you doing this to me?”
He explained that the situation was made worse because the agents’ faces were covered and they never identified themselves. “Being surrounded by masked and unidentified men was frightening. I was scared.”. “My body started shaking and I went into extreme anxiety and possibly a panic attack out of genuine fear for my safety,” said the therapist, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Then She was placed in an unmarked Ford truck and watched as officers searched her belongings.including his wallet, which he didn’t give permission for until they found his driver’s license. After it was determined that she was a US citizen, she was released.
In this regard, CBP spokesman Alan Regalado had said days ago after consulting the same media that The woman refused to cooperate with the officers. According to this version, he did not comply with the request to roll down the window and hand over his driver’s license.
CBP also stated that the operation was conducted under operational security protocols and at an authorized interior checkpoint, and noted that the case remains under review. However, a spokesman for the authority declined to comment after the citizen’s version became known.
Upon hearing the reconstruction of the incident, immigration lawyer Magdalena Cuprys spoke forcefully: “None of this is legal” said.
The specialist explained Miami Herald The, within the 100-mile strip from the border, which includes the Florida KeysAgents can request documents related to citizenship or immigration status, but clarified that this does not give them any other authority.
“Even so, They have no right to enter your car or your wallet.. “This is an unreasonable search and seizure,” said the expert.
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