A 21-year-old man who was brought to the United States as a baby was detained by federal immigration agents after a traffic stop in Georgia, according to his partner.
Alejandro Bahena, a Mexican national, was stopped by local police while driving with his partner, Desmaih Mock, to pick up his mother from work in Augusta, on November 10, around 8 p.m.
The officer cited the vehicle for lapsed insurance, which Mock said had been paid but was pending processing, and arrested Bahena for driving without a license. He was later detained when authorities discovered he did not have U.S. immigration documentation. Bahena was later transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Atlanta, where he was placed in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
Tricia Mclaughlin, a spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told Newsweek that Baheva was arrested by ICE “after he was charged by local authorities for driving without a license.”
“Bahena freely admitted to being in the country illegally,” McLaughlin said.
“My mental health has reached an all-time low. I can’t eat, and sleeping is even harder. Hearing him cry over the phone and how bad they are treating him absolutely shattered me, and being someone who struggled with depression in the past, I see myself falling deeper and deeper into that depression,” Mock told Newsweek.
“He said the ICE agents were extremely rude and violent. He is being treated as if he were a criminal or animal,” she said.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with plans to carry out what it calls the largest deportation operation in U.S. history as part of the Republicans’ hardline immigration agenda. ICE and Border Patrol have been under the spotlight and is facing increased scrutiny due to allegations of misconduct and deploying heavy-handed tactics.
Mock said Bahena has lived in the United States nearly his entire life, attended school locally, and has no criminal record. She described him as a hardworking man who supported their family through construction work and side repair jobs while she currently pursues a college degree in cardiovascular sonography.
“His son cries every night asking where his dad is, and when he is coming home. No child deserves to feel this pain. His father is a great man and always took care of us.
Bahena suffers from anxiety-related heart issues and recently sustained a fractured rib. She said he told her of harsh conditions at the ICE facility in Atlanta, including extreme heat, limited water, and sleeping on the floor, and that his requests for medical attention were dismissed. She said her partner described the conditions as “torture”.
“He was only given a small water bottle, and didn’t eat that whole day because he was transferred there later in the day and missed their lunchtime,” she said.
Family members, Mock said, remain worried about Bahena’s potential for deportation to Mexico, a country he does not know. Mock, a U.S. citizen, said she has struggled to obtain updates from ICE officials.
“He knows no one is in Mexico and knows nothing about Mexico, so if he gets deported, it’ll be really hard for him,” Mock said.
