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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Immigration agents reportedly confiscated a man's green card during an encounter at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this month, according to Fox 5 San Diego.
Raul Sanchez, a long-term permanent resident from the South Bay area, was apprehended by federal authorities on July 2 and has since been held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Otay Mesa.
"Raul Sanchez is a criminal alien with a rap sheet of grand theft, threatening a crime with an intent to terrorize, and possession of a control substance. He currently remains under ICE custody. A green card is a privilege, not a right. Under our nation's laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken and abused," a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek.
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Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has ordered a crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The White House has said anyone living in the country illegally is considered to be a "criminal."
The administration is enacting plans to carry out what it calls the largest deportation operation in U.S. history as part of the Republicans' hard-line immigration agenda.
In addition to people living in the country without legal status, immigrants with valid documentation, including green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids.
What To Know
Sanchez, 50, was detained while driving to an immigration appointment in San Ysidro, near his home, Fox 5 San Diego reported.
His daughter, Alejandra Sanchez, told the outlet the ordeal began in April when her parents returned from a trip to Europe.
"My dad has been separated from us, and there could be a possibility of him completely being removed from us," his daughter, Alejandra Sanchez, told Fox 5 San Diego.
Brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a toddler, Sanchez has lived in California for nearly five decades.
According to his family, he built a life as a devoted father, husband and hardworking member of his community.
But a nonviolent drug conviction from 2001, for which he served time in his 20s, has resurfaced amid the Trump administration's more aggressive enforcement priorities.
Immigration attorney Saman Nasseri told Fox 5 San Diego that many old cases like Sanchez's are now being reopened.
Newsweek has previously revealed allegations of misconduct and abuse at ICE-run detention centers in Otay Mesa, California, including claims of sexual assault, medical neglect and mistreatment of migrants.
What People Are Saying
Alejandra Sanchez told Fox 5 San Diego: "We have a huge community rallying around him and a lot of people aware of what's going on."
Attorney Saman Nasseri told Fox 5 San Diego: "I have about a dozen or so cases from 12-13 years ago that are now getting reopened with the court too."
Update 9/7/25, 6:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the DHS.
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