U.S. Citizen Files Federal Claims After Violent Immigration Stop

"On November 15, 2026, Aceituno was stopped twice within minutes by armed, masked immigration agents in a restaurant parking lot while getting food before work. After confirming his citizenship during the first stop, agents left. Moments later, Aceituno was again surrounded by masked federal agents, who shattered his car window and violently pulled him to the ground. Despite repeated statements from Aceituno and bystanders that his identification had already been verified, agents handcuffed him."

"The ACLU‑NC, Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), and Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, PLLC (TFWO) submitted the claims on Aceituno's behalf under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other involved Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies. The FTCA allows individuals to sue the United States for injuries suffered as a result of unlawful conduct by federal agents."

"Agents placed Aceituno, handcuffed and bleeding, into an unmarked SUV with other individuals who appeared to be Latino. They were driven around Charlotte before agents again confirmed Aceituno was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record. He was released more than two miles from his vehicle without explanation."

Willy Wender Aceituno, a U.S. citizen, filed federal damages claims against the Department of Homeland Security after immigration agents violently detained him in Charlotte despite confirming his citizenship. On November 15, 2026, armed and masked agents stopped Aceituno twice within minutes in a restaurant parking lot. After verifying his citizenship during the first stop, agents left but immediately returned, shattered his car window, and forcibly removed him from his vehicle. Despite repeated confirmation of his citizenship from Aceituno and bystanders, agents handcuffed him and transported him in an unmarked vehicle before releasing him miles from his car. Aceituno is one of five plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit challenging unlawful warrantless immigration arrests in North Carolina, represented by the ACLU-NC, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, PLLC.

Read at SCSJ