A man that a local community group said was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement agents Friday has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security.
Unidos Immokalee, a community group advocating for immigrants and farmworkers, posted information on social media early Friday about the man being taken by ICE agents. A protest formed later that day at a DHS facility in Fort Myers about the arrest.
Unidos Immokalee said that the man was taken in the Buckingham area around Lehigh Acres on Friday morning and that he was the husband of a local legal observer of ICE activities.
A DHS official confirmed the man's name on Tuesday.
“On July 10, ICE arrested Eduardo Miguel Mejia-Pena, an illegal alien from Mexico. When officers attempted to conduct the vehicle stop to arrest Mejia-Pena, his wife ignored traffic stop signs and refused to pull over," the DHS statement said via email to WGCU. "Mejia-Pena refused to comply with the officer's lawful commands to exit the vehicle. Mejia-Pena finally opened his window slightly, allowing the ICE officer to open the door and take him into custody."
DHS said that Mejia-Pena illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and time. "He will receive full due process and remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings," the emailed statement said.
MORE
The DHS statement concluded with a request for undocumented immigrants to self deport: “Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
Family members could not be reached for comment.
The statement from DHS came hours after Fox News, CBS, The Daily Wire and other outlets said the ICE stops have been suspended in most cases following deaths after such stops in Maine and Texas.
The Daily Wire said three Homeland Security sources told the right-of-center media outlet Tuesday that they were told “no more vehicle stops for now.” The new directive has the potential to massively impact ICE’s ability to make arrests.
The Daily Wire reported that the latest change provides limited exceptions when officers have criminal warrants, with the agency saying that they must work with outside agencies to pull over the target.
WGCU received information that ICE activity was continuing Tuesday in the Tice areas of Lee County.
The Associated Press also reported Tuesday that a man running from an encounter with immigration and other federal agents at a gas station in Florida was struck and killed by a tractor trailer on Tuesday, authorities said. It was the third death in about a week involving encounters with ICE agents, following the shootings in Texas and Maine.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
