Brian José Morales García had only been installing air conditioners in the Texas heat for a few months when the construction crew he was with got pulled over near Fredericksburg by a Texas Department of Public Safety officer.
The routine traffic stop resulted in the 25-year-old’s removal from the country despite his status as a U.S. citizen. The episode highlights what many Hispanic Texans, immigrant rights advocates and immigration lawyers have warned about for years: When local police who are untrained in the nuances of immigration law join forces with the feds, it can lead to U.S. citizens being hassled, detained and even deported.
