Latinos for Trump Are Now Facing The Harsh Reality

On August 12, 2025, Jason Brian Gavidia, a 29-year-old U.S. citizen and former supporter of President Donald Trump, publicly expressed regret for his vote after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Montebello, California.

The incident occurred on July 24, 2025, when Gavidia and his friend Javier Ramirez, also a U.S. citizen, were stopped by masked ICE agents in a majority-Latino city east of Los Angeles.

Gavidia’s allegations of racial profiling and his subsequent shift in political stance have drawn significant attention, highlighting tensions over ICE’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics under the Trump administration.

Gavidia, who has the words “We the people” from the U.S. Constitution tattooed across his back, was walking with Ramirez when two masked, rifle-toting ICE agents pinned him against a wall, demanding proof of his citizenship, according to The Daily Beast.

Video footage captured by Ramirez, later shared by NBC Los Angeles, shows Gavidia shouting, “I am American, bro!” as agents questioned his birthplace, with one barking, “What hospital were you born?” Gavidia, born in East Los Angeles, responded, “I don’t know, dawg! East L.A., bro!”

Despite providing identification, both men were detained, with Ramirez wrestled to the ground and taken to a detention center, per Yahoo News.

Gavidia told NBC Los Angeles he believes he was targeted due to his Latino heritage, stating, “I believe I was racially profiled.

I believe I was attacked because I was walking while brown.”

The traumatic experience led him to renounce his support for Trump, whom he now accuses of running on “lies.” “We were all manipulated, we were all brainwashed, and now look at us.

We’re all suffering because of it,” Gavidia said, waving a pocket Constitution he now carries for protection.

He joined an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, which resulted in a court order protecting individuals in seven Southern California counties from race-based ICE arrests, as reported by The Daily Beast and NBC Los Angeles.

Broader Context of ICE Raids and Public Backlash

Gavidia’s case is not isolated.

A similar incident involved Jensy Machado, a U.S. citizen and former Trump supporter from El Salvador, who was detained by ICE in Manassas, Virginia, on April 2, 2025, due to a mistaken identity, per Cuba Headlines.

Machado, who voted for Trump hoping to curb gang violence, told Telemundo 44, “I didn’t vote for the deportation of Hispanics, but for criminals,” expressing disillusionment after agents mocked his citizenship claims.

Another case, reported by BuzzFeed, highlighted a Florida roofing company owner who lost a third of his workforce to ICE raids, regretting his Trump vote as his business suffered.

Public sentiment on X reflects growing outrage, with users like @GoogeliArt calling Gavidia’s detention a reason to say “NEVER AGAIN” to Trump’s policies, and @ABrosnikoff noting his turn against MAGA after being “wrestled to the ground.”

@CliffW08950229 expressed little sympathy, stating, “I don’t feel sorry for him,” reflecting polarized views.

These reactions, while inconclusive, underscore the broader backlash against ICE’s tactics, with posts like @ZulaQi likening the incident to satire from The Onion.

The ACLU lawsuit, cited by Yahoo News, accuses ICE of violating constitutional rights through indiscriminate detentions, a concern echoed by California Gov.

Gavin Newsom, who called Trump a “chaos agent” for spreading fear, per Military Times.

A fact-checking site, factually.co, reported that at least 70 U.S. citizens were wrongfully deported by ICE between 2015 and 2020, highlighting systemic issues in enforcement practices.

Gavidia’s Response and Community Impact

In response to his detention, Gavidia has become an advocate, organizing “Know Your Rights” workshops and distributing cards informing immigrants of their legal protections, as noted by The Daily Beast.

“Where’s the freedom? Where’s the justice?” he asked, emphasizing his commitment to defending constitutional rights.

His story aligns with broader reports of MAGA supporters regretting their votes, including a “MAGA junkie” fired from the Treasury Department, per Newsweek, and a construction boss whose undocumented workers were deported, per YouTube.

The Montebello incident, part of Trump’s promised mass deportation campaign, has fueled protests, with BuzzFeed reporting anti-ICE demonstrations nationwide.

High-profile Trump supporters like boxer Ryan Garcia and Ileana Garcia of “Latinas for Trump” have also criticized the raids, with the latter calling them “unacceptable and inhumane,” per BuzzFeed.

Gavidia’s experience underscores the unintended consequences of Trump’s immigration crackdown, alienating even his supporters.

The court order limiting ICE arrests in Southern California, reported by NBC Los Angeles, signals legal pushback, while cases like that of U.S. Army veteran George Retes, detained in Camarillo, California, highlight the breadth of ICE’s operations, per Military Times.

As public frustration grows, with 15 examples of regretful MAGA voters cited by The Root, Trump’s policies risk eroding his base ahead of the 2026 midterms.

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