Arkansas attorney says US citizen held by ICE, released
By Chip Scarborough
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BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KHBS, KHOG) — A Northwest Arkansas man is back home after he says he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a traffic stop. The man’s attorney says he is a U.S. citizen.
Local immigration attorney Aaron Cash says his client had prior traffic offenses that had not been taken care of. The client says when he got pulled over because his taillights were out, those prior traffic offenses became an even bigger problem. He agreed to speak to 40/29 News under the condition that we not show his face or use his name.
“Kind of traumatized a little bit, you know,” the man said.
The Northwest Arkansas resident says he had just driven a colleague home when he was stopped by an area police officer due to his taillights not working. He says the officer discovered he had prior traffic offenses that hadn’t been taken care of, so he says he was taken to the Benton County Jail to be booked, and he expected to be immediately released. However, he says Benton County discovered an ICE hold on him, and he ended up staying in the county jail overnight. He says it was tough not knowing what to expect next.
“Try to stay calm,” the man said. “Be kind to the people that are doing this to you. You know, show them that you can do it. Stay strong.”
He says it wasn’t until the next morning that ICE picked him up from the Benton County Jail and took him to an ICE office in Fayetteville. He says he was only there about 30 minutes before he was released.
“Now that I know this can happen to me, I’m kind of leery,” he said. “You know, I want to carry more documentation with me. So, that way they don’t have an excuse to say that I don’t have proof.”
Cash says he was contacted to represent the man. He says once immigration authorities reviewed his client’s passport, proving his citizenship, he was released. Cash says it was acknowledged by law enforcement that his client is a U.S. citizen
“You know, in 2025, I’m not sure exactly how that could happen,” Cash said. “You know, before the internet, before computer systems, I could see how that may not reflect somewhere. But, you know, you would think that would be in one central location. But, apparently, it’s sort of separated out. The Department of State does issue passports, and of course, ICE is not under that. And, so maybe there is some disconnect there. But, he is a U.S. citizen.”
Cash’s client says he wishes he didn’t have to think about the possibility of carrying his passport and documentation with him at all times.
“It makes me feel like I’m not a regular human being,” he said. “That I have to, you know, basically have a dog collar on me to present myself as a human being.”
We have calls into the law enforcement agencies involved in this particular case to find out more about the ICE hold and why it was in place. We are still waiting on calls back from some of those agencies, but we can tell you an ICE spokesperson told us they will look into it.
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