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Mask up for the No King protest. Trump issued a tweet saying no masks , so mask up like it's pandemic time please .
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Part of States Newsroom
Civil Rights
Immigration
Politics & Law
U.S.-born man held for ICE under Florida’s new anti-immigration law
Leon judge says she was obliged to ignore his documented proof.
By: Jackie Llanos - April 17, 2025 3:03 pm

Sebastiana Gomez-Perez sits at a table in the cafeteria in the Leon County Courthouse, weeping after finding out that her son could be picked up by immigration officials despite being a U.S. citizen. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix)
Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen, was being held in the Leon County Jail Thursday, charged with illegally entering Florida as an “unauthorized alien” — even as a supporter waved his U.S. birth certificate in court.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper arrested Lopez-Gomez after a traffic stop in which he was a passenger. The 20-year-old is set to remain in jail for the next 48 hours, waiting for federal immigration officials to pick him up despite his first-degree misdemeanor charge being dropped.
His mother, Sebastiana Gomez-Perez, burst into tears at the sight of her son, who appeared virtually for his first hearing at the Leon County Courthouse. She left the courtroom distraught because she could do nothing to help her son, who was born and lives in Grady County, Georgia.
“I wanted to tell them, ‘Where are you going to take him? He is from here,'” his mother told the Phoenix in Spanish moments after exiting the courtroom. “I felt immense helplessness because I couldn’t do anything, and I am desperate to get my son out of there.”
She continued through tears: “It hurts so much. I’m sorry, I can’t.”
A lieutenant working in the Leon County Jail didn’t allow the mother to see Lopez-Gomez on Thursday and told her officials were working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on how to proceed. A Phoenix reporter accompanied Gomez-Perez to the jail.
Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans held Lopez-Gomez’s birth certificate up to the light after community advocate Silvia Alba silently waved the document in the courtroom.
“In looking at it, and feeling it, and holding it up to the light, the court can clearly see the watermark to show that this is indeed an authentic document,” Riggans said.
Based on her inspection of his birth certificate and Social Security card, Riggans said she found no probable cause for the charge. However, the state prosecutor insisted the court lacked jurisdiction over Lopez-Gomez’s release because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had formally asked the jail to hold him.
“This court does not have any jurisdiction other than what I’ve already done,” Riggans said.
Riggans said she was very sorry as Lopez-Gomez’s mother left.
‘I can’t do anything for their brother’
The 20-year-old’s first language is Tzotzil, a Mayan language, and he took a long pause when he was asked if he wanted to hire a private attorney or obtain a public defender. He lived in Mexico from the time he was 1-year-old until four years ago, when he returned to Georgia, his mother told the Phoenix.
The Homeland Security Investigations Office in Tampa issued the 48-hour ICE detainer on Thursday. An ICE officer whose name and phone number appear in the detainer refused to speak with the Phoenix.
“He hasn’t committed a crime for them to hold him, that’s what I don’t understand. I’m feeling bad because my daughters are asking me how their brother is. It hurts because I can’t do anything for their brother,” she said.
At issue is a recently passed law that a federal judge has temporarily barred the state from enforcing, further calling into question the validity of his arrest, the charge, and detention. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 4-C into law on Feb. 14, and U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams blocked its enforcement on April 4.
The law makes it a misdemeanor for undocumented immigrants over age 18 to “knowingly” enter Florida “after entering the United States by eluding or avoiding examination or inspection by immigration officers.”
Two other men who were in the car with Lopez-Gomez, the driver and another passenger, also had their first appearances on the same charges on Thursday. The driver was also charged with driving without a license.
The state trooper pulled over the car Lopez-Gomez was in because the driver was going 78 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to the arrest report. Lopez-Gomez gave his Georgia state ID to the trooper, who wrote in his report that Lopez-Gomez said he was in the country illegally.
Wednesday marked the second time Lopez-Gomez has been arrested. The Grady County Sheriff’s office took him into custody on Sunday and charged him with driving under the influence, his mother said. ICE also requested that the Georgia jail hold Lopez-Gomez, but he won release after his family showed officials his birth certificate and Social Security card, Gomez-Perez said.
Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, met Gomez-Perez at the courthouse. He said Lopez-Gomez’s case is exactly what his organization has been warning lawmakers would happen.
“It was just really sad seeing the mother distraught over her son, and the fact that she acknowledged that this is very likely a case of racial profiling against a U.S. citizen who can’t speak English,” he said in a phone interview with the Phoenix.
The Georgia Recorder, a partner of Florida Phoenix, has submitted a public records request to obtain more information about his arrest Sunday. This story was updated with information from the arrest report at 4:55 p.m.
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Last updated 9:19 p.m., Apr. 17, 2025
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Jackie Llanos
Jackie is a recent graduate of the University of Richmond. She has interned at Nashville Public Radio, Virginia Public Media and Virginia Mercury.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
MORE FROM AUTHOR
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U.S. citizen released from jail after arrest under Florida’s new anti-immigration lawby Jackie LlanosApril 17, 2025
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Copied article Oliver Kornetsky...
I’m not a historian. I’m not a Kremlinologist or a credentialed scholar on authoritarian regimes. I’m not a behavioral psychologist, and I don’t hold a PhD in fascism or kleptocracy—though frankly, given the state of the world, I’m starting to wonder if we all should. But I’ve lived in Russia for some time. I’ve spent time in Eastern Europe. I’ve read obsessively, listened carefully, and paid attention like my life depended on it—because, in a very real sense, it does. And while I’ll leave academic dissection to the ivory tower, what I can tell you from the ground is this:
What’s happening in this country isn’t just cruel—it’s methodical, strategic, and deeply familiar to anyone who’s studied or survived under regimes built on repression and rot.
We’re watching a script play out—one that was written in the blood and bureaucracy of Putin’s Russia, refined in the dungeons of Chechnya, perfected through decades of oligarchic decay, secret police intimidation, and mafia-state theatrics. And now it’s being re-staged here in America, rebranded with flags and lapel pins and the tired language of “law and order.”
The Trump regime—this carnival of third-rate strongmen, grifters, sycophants, and sadists—isn’t innovating anything. It’s copying. It’s importing the authoritarian model wholesale. They’ve read the Putin playbook, dog-eared the best parts, and now they’re running it in real time. And the cruelty? That’s not a flaw in the system. That is the system.
Because cruelty serves a dual purpose: it distracts and it paralyzes. It shocks the conscience just long enough to make you forget about the theft happening in broad daylight. It freezes resistance by making you wonder who’s next. It’s not just about dehumanizing the target—it’s about disarming the observer. You see a 52-year-old seamstress abducted by masked agents in broad daylight, and your mind stops. That’s the point. While you’re frozen, they’re looting the vault.
Putin’s critics—brave dissidents like Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Alexei Navalny—laid it out plainly: behind the thuggish repression, there’s no grand ideology. There’s only theft. Power is just a means to steal more, protect the stolen, and destroy anyone who threatens the racket. Navalny made that crystal clear. Putin’s state isn’t built on belief—it’s built on plunder. And everything else—beatings, censorship, propaganda, disappearances—is just set dressing for the heist.
Trump, a failed businessman and serial conman, didn’t stumble into power because he had a vision. He stumbled into it like a raccoon into a jewelry store: overwhelmed, opportunistic, and desperate to grab everything shiny before the lights come on. He brought with him a gang of similarly hollow, self-serving goons—parasites in flag pins—who recognized that brute force and spectacle could serve as a perfect cover for mass-scale corruption. All they needed was enough boots, enough masks, and enough Americans too scared or too exhausted to resist.
That’s what ICE is now—a terror squad designed not just to punish the “other,” but to frighten the rest into submission. They don’t need to knock on your door. They just need you to see what happens when they knock on hers. They want you disoriented, enraged, heartbroken, and above all—silent.
It’s not about immigration. It’s about domination.
But here’s the part they never count on: you can only keep people paralyzed for so long. Fear calcifies. Shock fades. And eventually, rage focuses.
So let’s speak plainly: this is not normal, it’s not American, and it’s not sustainable. It’s a kleptocratic death cult wearing the face of democracy. It’s an authoritarian racket hiding behind courtrooms and uniforms. And it will fall—just like every regime before it that mistook violence for invincibility and corruption for competence.
What can we do? First, resist the paralysis. Rage, yes—but don’t retreat. Pay attention. Speak out. If something feels wrong, say it’s wrong. Refuse to play along with their language, their framing, their euphemisms. They are not “removing undocumented immigrants.” They are disappearing people. They are not “restoring law and order.” They are weaponizing the state.
And just as importantly: take care of yourself. Joy, community, love, rest—these are not luxuries in a time of repression. They are acts of defiance. They are the fuel for the long fight ahead. Because this will be a long fight. There will be distractions, casualties, betrayals. But there will also be courage. And solidarity. And moments that remind us exactly why we fight.
Because we don’t do it for the flag. We don’t do it for politicians. We do it for every seamstress dragged from her car. Every family torn apart. Every dissident silenced. Every protestor jailed. We do it to honor the civil rights marchers, the freedom riders, the Stonewall rebels, the water protectors, the labor organizers—the defiant, the bold, the brave.
And we do it for the Americans who laid down their lives to crush fascism in Europe. For the soldiers who stormed beaches to fight against tyranny, not wave it in through the front door. For those who fought in the jungles and the deserts and the streets—not for conquest, but for freedom. For those who knew that authoritarianism doesn’t need to speak a foreign language to be a threat.
And we do it because we must. Because history is watching. And this time, it’s our names on the line.
Let’s make sure they’re remembered for the right reasons.
Pic related—personal
STEP UP - state what people can do to retain democracy!!!
Copied Oliver Kornetsky
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If your like me you understand the frustration and disappointment with the recent Thanksgiving message from Trump. It's disheartening to see a leader use divisive language and spread hate. A president's role is to unite and lead the country, not to create more division.
It's essential to remember that, as Americans, we share a common identity and values, regardless of our political affiliations. We should strive to respect each other's differences and engage in constructive dialogue.
We've always had multiple parties in the US, which is a hallmark of our democracy. It's crucial to maintain this diversity of thought and opinion, even when we disagree.
I am trying to get everyone to take a commitment to taking the lead and promoting respect, empathy, and understanding. We need more who are willing to stand up for what's right and promote unity.
Let's focus on spreading love, kindness, and respect, rather than hate and division. We're all Americans, and it's time for us to come together and celebrate our shared humanity.
It would be wonderful if Trump, could do the same instead of posting the following Thanksgiving message on X He called half of Americans lunatics, just because they did not agree with his policies and did not vote for him. He was elected to be all Americans' President, he needs to act like he is 80 instead of 8 . No matter what party you are the name calling and hate is wrong and it is embarrassing to all Americans. Before you say well they called us names too, yes I'm sure we all have and may continue to, but remember we are not the President. It is his job to treat all Americans with respect, no matter what party you are..Stop posting hate and we all might MAGA , because it been so hateful since 2016.
Here what he posted on x on Thanksgiving .Please do not spread hate because our new leader does. I don't think any Republican, Independent, or Democrat should ever be called names because of who they voted for .. it we didn't have different parties, this would not be America. God bless Republicans, Democrats and Independents meaning God Bless America.
The following is Trumps Thanksgiving post to America copied and pasted from his verified page on X. He may be the leader, , but until he actually leads instead of dividing America, we don't have to follow:
"Happy Thanksgiving Including the Radical Left Lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our Country, but who have miserably failed, and will always fail, because their ideas and policies are so hopelessly bad that the great people of our Nation just gave a landslide victory to those who want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
Don’t worry, our Country will soon be respected, productive, fair, and strong, and you will be, more than ever before, proud to be an American!”
I sure most Americans agree it would been easier for him to say , Happy Thanksgiving America and it would of been so much better for us all and if you want respect, sometimes, you have to earn it .I respect all that voted, even if I did not agree.
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If your like me you understand the frustration and disappointment with the recent Thanksgiving message from Trump. It's disheartening to see a leader use divisive language and spread hate. A president's role is to unite and lead the country, not to create more division.
It's essential to remember that, as Americans, we share a common identity and values, regardless of our political affiliations. We should strive to respect each other's differences and engage in constructive dialogue.
We've always had multiple parties in the US, which is a hallmark of our democracy. It's crucial to maintain this diversity of thought and opinion, even when we disagree.
I am trying to get everyone to take a commitment to taking the lead and promoting respect, empathy, and understanding. We need more who are willing to stand up for what's right and promote unity.
Let's focus on spreading love, kindness, and respect, rather than hate and division. We're all Americans, and it's time for us to come together and celebrate our shared humanity.
It would be wonderful if Trump, could do the same instead of posting the following Thanksgiving message on X He called half of Americans lunatics, just because they did not agree with his policies and did not vote for him. He was elected to be all Americans' President, he needs to act like he is 80 instead of 8 . No matter what party you are the name calling and hate is wrong and it is embarrassing to all Americans. Before you say well they called us names too, yes I'm sure we all have and may continue to, but remember we are not the President. It is his job to treat all Americans with respect, no matter what party you are..Stop posting hate and we all might MAGA , because it been so hateful since 2016.
Here what he posted on x on Thanksgiving .Please do not spread hate because our new leader does. I don't think any Republican, Independent, or Democrat should ever be called names because of who they voted for .. it we didn't have different parties, this would not be America. God bless Republicans, Democrats and Independents meaning God Bless America.
The following is Trumps Thanksgiving post to America copied and pasted from his verified page on X. He may be the leader, , but until he actually leads instead of dividing America, we don't have to follow:
"Happy Thanksgiving Including the Radical Left Lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our Country, but who have miserably failed, and will always fail, because their ideas and policies are so hopelessly bad that the great people of our Nation just gave a landslide victory to those who want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
Don’t worry, our Country will soon be respected, productive, fair, and strong, and you will be, more than ever before, proud to be an American!”
I sure most Americans agree it would been easier for him to say , Happy Thanksgiving America and it would of been so much better for us all and if you want respect, sometimes, you have to earn it .I respect all that voted, even if I did not agree.
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Well I guess Trump is already tired of Elon or secretly hates him. He gave Elon, Majorie Taylor Green,v an early Christmas present. to work with Elon on DOGE. Joy to the World and Merry Christmas 🎄 and Have a Happy New Year, Elon . That's Best present ever !
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5 March 2017