A man in the process of obtaining permanent residency in the United States was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while sightseeing at the Grand Canyon, his boyfriend told Newsweek.
Ricardo Dominguez of Kissimmee, Florida, told Newsweek that his boyfriend Juan Vita Leite Pinto, a Brazilian national with a valid Florida ID and work permit, was taken into custody by ICE agents over Memorial Day weekend while visiting the Grand Canyon.
While Vita Leite Pinto lives in Orlando, he was out west for work as a harvester at the time. Only one week earlier, the couple visited the Hoover Dam with no issues, Dominguez said in a phone interview on Thursday. But when Vita Leite-Pinto visited the Grand Canyon, he was stopped by immigration agents. He presented his Florida ID card but was told that was not sufficient.
He has been held in ICE custody for the weeks since then.