Siblings detained by law enforcement while asking about berry prices

By Alexa Velez

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    IMMOKALEE, Florida (WBBH) — Three siblings in Immokalee say they were detained for more than an hour by law enforcement officers while asking about the price of palmetto berries, raising concerns about racial profiling and whether legal procedures were followed.

Maria, 21, Sergio, 17, and Blanca, 14, stopped at Family Reyes Produce on Friday to inquire about berry prices. The siblings, all U.S. citizens with permits to pick and sell berries, had no berries with them at the time, only empty buckets.

Blanca, 14, said, “We pick it so we can earn money to buy school clothes and earn our own money.”

The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) was conducting permit checks at the location when the siblings were stopped. After giving their information and permit, they say officers blocked them from leaving.

The teens said more officers, including Border Patrol, eventually arrived. Their aunt came to record the incident on her phone.

Maria, who was driving, said, “It was not quick. I kept saying, ‘Hello, can I have my ID back? What’s going on?’ They were just walking around us, ignoring us.”

Sergio added, “It was for like an hour and 20 minutes. And then, I didn’t have parents here. My guardians weren’t here. I was here by myself with my sisters, and they just held us for no reason.”

Immigration attorney Ricardo Skerrett said officers are not legally allowed to question minors without a parent or guardian present.

“In order for a law enforcement officer to interrogate a minor, a parent or legal guardian has to be present to give their acquiescence (consent),” he said.

Blanca said through tears that the main female OALE officer was aggressive.

“I was crying, and we were just scared that they were going to take us. That they were just going to not let us go. I was scared they were going to do something,” she said.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released a statement but did not address the questioning of minors. The statement read, in part:

“FDACS was present at an operation to arrest people who are stealing saw palmetto berries. We conduct the same operation each year since the law was passed to target this property crime. If, in the course of arresting someone for a crime, we learn the individual is also in violation of our immigration laws, they will be turned over to the federal authorities. If people want to avoid an immigration encounter with FDACS, they should probably not commit crimes.”

Border Patrol is investigating the incident.

Many in Immokalee feel moments like these unfairly target them because of their identity.

Sergio believes they were targeted because of their race.

“I think it was because of our color. They had no reason. We didn’t commit any crime, no nothing. I just think it was because our color, the van we were driving.”

Blanca added, “I feel scared because, like, you go back to school and you’re traumatized with everything that happened, and we couldn’t sleep for the first night. She would just pop up in my mind; I couldn’t go to sleep in peace.”

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