A U.S. citizen of Hispanic descent is questioning his support for President Donald Trump after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Northern Virginia. Jensy Machado, a naturalized citizen, said he was stopped by ICE agents on his way to work in Manassas, Virginia, and temporarily placed in handcuffs before being released.
A video of the incident was shared by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) on his social media feed, along with a caption that read "ICE detained a U.S. citizen in Northern Virginia with guns drawn. He offered to show ID and told the officers he was an American citizen, but they handcuffed him anyway."
ICE detained a U.S. citizen in Northern Virginia with guns drawn. He offered to show ID and told the officers he was an American citizen, but they handcuffed him anyway. The man is a Trump voter, but says he is reconsidering his support after he was targeted for being Hispanic: pic.twitter.com/NYv6JmTNst
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 7, 2025
Machado's detention took place amid a broader ICE operation in Northern Virginia, according to The Washington Post. Reports of large-scale immigration arrests had circulated for days, with news outlets stating that ICE had obtained between 75 and 100 judicial warrants.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has directed state law enforcement to cooperate with ICE, and officials have sought to expand ICE operations into traditionally restricted areas such as schools and places of worship.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who accompanied ICE agents and an ABC News crew during one of the raids, called the effort a "successful operation" targeting "criminal aliens and gang members:"
Northern Virginia is safer this morning after a successful operation getting criminal aliens and gang members off our streets.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 4, 2025
Thank you to our brave enforcement officers. pic.twitter.com/UYRkwLPHTO
The ABC News report noted, however, that ICE had detained only two undocumented individuals during that particular segment, one of whom had a previous conviction for sexual battery.
Machado recounted that ICE agents stopped his vehicle and surrounded it with weapons drawn, as quoted by Washington's NBC 4: "they just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window, you know. Everything was really fast."
Machado added that agents were searching for an individual with a deportation order who had listed Machado's home address. Machado attempted to provide his driver's license to verify his identity, but agents ignored his offer and instead questioned his immigration status before eventually uncuffing him.
Two passengers in his vehicle were taken into custody, though Machado said he was unsure why. Following the incident, he expressed disillusionment with the administration's immigration policies. "I was a Trump supporter. I voted for Trump last election because I thought it was going to be ... just going against criminals, not every Hispanic looking ... that they will assume that we are all illegals," he said.
For Machado, the experience has left him questioning the policies he once supported. "They're just following Hispanic people," he said.
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