Amid applause from his cellmates, Angel Rodrigo Minguela Palacios, the strawberry delivery man detained by the Border Patrol in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles in front of the place where Governor Gavin Newson was giving a press conference, was released a month after his arrest.

“Today when I drove for the first time, I couldn't believe I was free. That month I spent between the Los Angeles Detention Center and the Eloy Center in Arizona felt like a year. Those centers are designed to destroy you mentally. They're worse than prison,” says Angel Rodrigo in an interview with La Opinion.

He was detained around 11 a.m. on August 14.

“It was just another day, just another delivery on my route. I was in the back of the car, putting something away I'd dropped when someone knocked on the door. It was a Border Patrol agent. He asked me about my status. I handed him the red card with my rights that I always carried in my wallet. The officer reluctantly told me it was no use to him, and began questioning me about 'where are you from' and if I had papers. He became very demanding. I chose not to answer and remained silent.”

When they checked his driver's license and verified it in their system, The border patrol officer asks him to turn around and puts handcuffs on him.

“They put me in a patrol car and took me to the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) building in downtown Los Angeles, where they held me for six days. From there, they transferred me to the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona.”

Angel Rodrigo, a 48-year-old immigrant from Torreon, Mexico, married and the father of three young children, one of whom has autism, says that when he was arrested, his world fell apart.

“You think you might be arrested and you take care of yourself, but when it happens to you, all the fear comes over you because of your commitments, and because of what your wife and children will struggle with without your support.”

He says he didn’t know the governor was standing across the street from where he was arrested.

“They let me know when he was detained at the ICE Center in Los Angeles. That event caused the Border Patrol to show up.”

Racial Detention

If he is sure of anything, it is that his detention was based on racial profiling and his skin color.

“I have no crimes, I had no arrest warrants, nor deportation orders. They saw me, approached me, questioned me, and took me away.”

That month and six days that he was deprived of his liberty, he says he would not wish it on anyone.

“They treat you like a criminal, they give you the basics to survive. They get you up to have breakfast at 3:30 in the morning, lunch is at 11 in the morning, and dinner at 4 in the afternoon. Sunday was the worst day, just three slices of white bread with a packet of peanut butter and another packet of jam. That was the only day of the week they gave us fruit, an apple.”

What gave him strength in confinement?

“My family. Talking to my wife, who encouraged me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived. You cry and a family forms among all the detainees. Most of us are Mexican, but there are people from all over the world, many Africans, Indians, and even Russians.”

On September 9, a judge authorized his release on bail of $1,500.

“It’s the lowest bail they give because I’ve seen people who were asked for up to $10,000.”

A week later, he experienced one of the happiest moments of his life when they told him he would be released the next day.

He regained his freedom on Thursday, September 18, and after an eight-hour bus trip between Phoenix and Los Angeles, he was greeted by his wife, Norma, his children, his coworkers, and even his boss.

“It feels very nice to be received in that way with so much joy,” says Angel Rodrigo.

But it’s not all victory. Before leaving, ICE placed an electronic monitoring bracelet on his ankle that he must wear for the duration of his process.

“I am going to fight to stay in this country because my children with autism; they need support that can only be given to them here,” he says.

He says that he believed in President Trump’s words that they would focus on detaining only immigrants with serious crimes, but they are going after everyone, whether or not you have committed a crime.

“For them, my crime is having stayed in the country to work when my tourist visa expired,” he says.

And he adds: “The president wants to keep his campaign promise, but we are paying the price, good people who do not have crimes. And to keep our promise to his voters, they are going to Home Depots, Car Washes, and arrest people. Many of those detained are day laborers, car washers,people who come here to work to support our families and fight to give our children an education. We are not criminals.”

A Very Unusual Bail

Immigration attorney Alex Galvez, who defended Angel, says the judge was able to set a low bail of $1,500 due to a number of factors based on his life in the United States.

“The judge took into account his good behavior, that he hasn’t committed any crimes, that two of his children have autism, and that he has always paid his taxes.”

He says the last time he heard about a $1,500 bail was before COVID.

“It’s unusual, and I can only attribute it to the fact that Angel has been a good contributor to society.”

Under changes to bail laws under the Trump administration, Angel Rodrigo was lucky enough to have entered on a tourist visa, which allowed him to qualify; those who entered the country without documents must remain in detention for six months before being able to request bail. said attorney Galvez.

He points out that although this father is not out of danger of separation, they will soon file a 42B petition for cancellation and removal of his deportation based on the fact that he has two children with autism.

“He meets the requirements, having been in the country in the last ten years, good moral character, children under 21 years old with a disability who will need help their entire lives; if we get it, we will be able to win his residency,” he says.

Collateral Damage

Attorney Galvez claims that his client was collateral damage in the federal government’s political battle to intimidate Governor Gavin Newsom during his press conference.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Palacios was out front leaving his strawberries. He was one of two immigrants that the Border Patrol detained to teach the governor a lesson. The good thing is that we were able to get him out of detention so he can fight for freedom to remain in the United States, helping his two children with autism.”