CHICAGO CRACKDOWN

ICE Gives $130 Ticket to U.S. Resident for Not Carrying His Papers

“It’s not fair… I’m a resident,” the 60-year-old explained.

ICE agents gave a U.S. resident a $130 ticket for not carrying legal papers despite his legal status. Reuben Antonio Cruz, originally from El Salvador, was sitting in Rogers Park, Chicago, with a friend on Oct. 9 when ICE agents approached him. “They asked us if we have papers. I said I do, but I don’t have them on me,” he said. Cruz is a legal resident of a government-funded apartment. The agents proceeded to put Cruz in their truck and drove around as they questioned him, he recalled. Cruz was let go after they verified his legal status. However, Cruz was handed a $130 ticket on the basis of the now highly enforced federal law that requires foreign nationals to have proof of registration at all times. The resident’s friend was taken away by the agents because he did not have legal status, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Daily Beast has reached out to ICE for comment but did not immediately hear back.