U.S. Deports University of Florida Student Following Traffic Stop

Felipe Zapata Velázquez, a student at the University of Florida, was deported back to Colombia after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a traffic violation in Gainesville, Florida, according to NBC Miami. Zapata, a third-year student majoring in Food and Resource Economics at the university's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, was apprehended on March 28. Despite holding a valid F-1 student visa, the 27-year-old encountered legal trouble.

Claudia Velázquez, his mother, stated that Zapata is currently undergoing "physical and emotional recovery, and we are prioritizing his general well-being and health," according to a statement translated and shared by the news outlet.

Previously, Claudia Velázquez informed Univision 23 that her son was in the process of completing the I-20 form to renew his license and had already paid the related fines. However, after resolving the issue at the police station, ICE agents intercepted him and informed him that due to the traffic violation on his record, they needed to take him into custody. He was then transported to Jacksonville and subsequently to the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade. According to his mother, he was pressured to sign a self-deportation agreement without a lawyer present.

Florida's Controversial Traffic Enforcement Policy

A new internal directive from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) instructs officers to arrest and incarcerate undocumented immigrants committing any traffic violation, such as driving without a valid license, to expedite their deportation. The policy allows officers to detain individuals for up to an hour, even if they are not suspected of a crime, awaiting federal immigration agents to take custody. This directive has sparked significant criticism from legal experts and civil rights organizations, who warn of a potential violation of the Fourth Amendment, which guards against arbitrary detentions, as highlighted by El Nuevo Herald.

Political Outcry

Florida Democrat Congressman Maxwell Frost condemned the incident as a "government kidnapping." "Felipe Zapata Velásquez is just the latest victim of Trump's repugnant campaign against immigrants. What should have been a routine traffic stop turned into a nightmare," the legislator remarked, as reported by NBC Miami. Additionally, Florida State Representative Yvonne Hinson criticized Zapata's detention, arguing that a simple traffic infraction does not warrant such severe measures. She stated to Local10 News, "Immigrants are under attack now more than ever."

Community Response and Other Incidents

On Wednesday, April 9, at 12:15 p.m. Eastern time, the Young Democratic Socialists of America at the University of Florida organized a protest demanding the restoration of the Colombian student's immigration status. "Right now, we are seeing waves of fear among the student community because nobody knows what action might land them in an ICE detention center," said Dimitris Liveris, the organization's leader, to NBC Miami.

Zapata's case is not isolated. Víctor Manuel Izquierdo, a Cuban resident in Florida, was arrested on his birthday despite having a pending marriage-based residency application and no criminal record. José Francisco García Rodríguez, a 73-year-old Cuban, was detained in Louisiana after living in the U.S. for over 45 years and was released a week later. José Gregorio González, a Venezuelan in the U.S. to donate a kidney to his brother, was detained while accompanying him to dialysis and held for nearly a month before being released on humanitarian grounds.

In California, a 22-year-old Hispanic woman faced an armed ICE intervention outside her home after dropping her sister off at school. Although she is a legal resident and was released, the incident caused her a panic attack and affected her emotional and work stability. In Boston, a judge found an ICE agent in contempt for arresting a Dominican migrant during a court hearing, labeling it an affront to justice and ordering an investigation into the prosecutorial conduct involved.