FHP Traffic Stop Hands Venezuelan Asylum Seeker To ICE As Florida Detentions Spike

Gustavo Giménez Sánchez, a Venezuelan journalist and asylum seeker living in Gainesville, was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol and then transferred to ICE custody despite having a pending asylum application and previously held Temporary Protected Status that had expired. He was held in Alachua County Jail and then in ICE detention for more than 12 days before an immigration judge granted bond and he was released. The case highlights the Trump administration’s expanded enforcement that has led to detentions of immigrants with pending processes or without criminal records, and follows policy changes revoking protections for many Venezuelans. Giménez Sánchez says he fled political persecution and remains awaiting a decision on his asylum claim.