Miguel Angel Ponce Jr. was stunned and insulted when immigration officers allegedly pressured him to shave his beard. The request came after they mistook him for a wanted criminal, leaving him feeling both humiliated and misunderstood.
In an exclusive conversation with Newsweek, he stated firmly, “I’ll never shave my beard, that was disrespectful, the audacity!”
Ponce, who hails from College Station and currently lives in Navasota, Texas, was on his way to work in Houston when ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents stopped him based on a serious error that led them to believe he was an elusive violent offender.
The Importance of This Incident
This unfortunate encounter highlights significant concerns over how identities are verified and the instabilities of racial profiling.
With President Donald Trump’s administration pushing to deport millions, ICE is facing intense scrutiny for their aggressive tactics that are perceived as part of a broader mass deportation agenda.
Key Details of the Arrest
After he proved his identity, Ponce was told to leave his vehicle. He insisted that he was an American citizen, yet the agents failed to present any warrant for his detainment and merely brandished a photograph of someone they claimed looked like him.
He spent about 90 minutes to 2 hours in handcuffs, during which he argued repeatedly that they had the wrong guy, but his claims were dismissed.
Ponce recounted that the officers alleged there were multiple individuals using his Social Security number, yet when he sought verification, they simply changed the topic. “The agents seemed to treat it lightly, claiming that others shared my number. When I pressed for proof, they ignored me,” he explained. “Every time I told them I wasn’t the right person, their response was, ‘Just because you keep saying it, doesn’t make it true.'”
Eventually, Ponce managed to have the agents compare his tattoos to the person they were looking for. The comparison clarified the mistake, and he was released.
However, in a twist, the agents drove him home and suggested he might want to shave his beard so they wouldn’t confuse him with the suspect again. He found this suggestion deeply insulting, stating that he would never comply with such a request.
Despite the officers ultimately recognizing their mistake, the whole ordeal raises serious questions about the responsibility of law enforcement in situations like these, as well as what can be done to protect citizens from similar predicaments in the future.
Reactions to the Event
A spokesperson for ICE commented to KBTX, saying, “The individual with the same first, middle, and last name bears a striking resemblance to the individual who was taken into custody by mistake.”
In reflecting on the experience, Ponce told Newsweek: “As the days went by, it became tougher to shake off the anger and embarrassment. It felt like a violation and created a sense of fear—like I was being kidnapped. I didn’t have anyone to call; I was simply yanked from my car. Moving on from this is not easy.”
