A Hispanic American citizen, Jensy Machado, is now questioning his vote for Donald Trump after being brutally apprehended by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents.
Machado was on his way to work in the city of Manassas, Virginia, when he was stopped by armed federal agents.
His vehicle, which also carried two other men, was surrounded by law enforcement officers who ordered him to turn off the engine and remain still.
“Everything happened very fast. They got out of the car, weapons in hand, and asked me to turn off the engine and give them my keys,” Machado told WRC-TV. He already regrets voting for Donald Trump in the last U.S. presidential election.
Despite being an American citizen, Machado claims the agents did not ask him for identification before handcuffing him. They questioned him about how he entered the United States and whether he was awaiting a court hearing. It was only after he showed his REAL ID-compliant driver’s license that he was released, he regretted.
The two other men in the car, however, were taken into custody.
Machado, who says he is deeply shaken by this experience, claims he voted for Donald Trump believing in “an immigration policy targeting criminals and not Hispanic-looking citizens.”
“I voted for Trump in the last election because I thought he was going to act against criminals, not against all Hispanics,” he now regrets. “But in reality, they are just stopping people based on their appearance,” he added in a disappointed tone during an interview with WRC-TV.
Machado is not the only Hispanic Trump supporter who has expressed regret for voting for the far-right MAGA leader, who had openly declared his intent to deport immigrants from Latin America and other regions.
Machado’s experience is yet another testimony to the abuses of Trump’s immigration policies and the widespread suspicion against Black and Hispanic communities in the United States. Despite being an American citizen, Machado was treated like a criminal suspected of being in Donald Trump’s country without the proper immigration documents.
Jensy Machado says he voted for the far-right leader hoping that his rhetoric would not be followed by action and that his immigration policies would be applied with discernment and respect for fundamental rights. But like many other MAGA supporters from minority communities, he was wrong, never imagining that he would become a victim of the injustice and discrimination of the MAGA movement himself.
