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Jensy Machado — U.S. Citizen Detained at Gunpoint

Dossier opened: 2026-02-12
Type: 🐆 Leopards Ate My Face
Confidence: HIGH — NBC News, NBC Washington, Newsweek, video testimony

Summary

Voted for Trump. Detained at Gunpoint for Being Hispanic.

Jensy Machado, a naturalized U.S. citizen in Manassas, Virginia, was detained at gunpoint by ICE agents while driving to work. When he told them he was an American citizen, an agent looked at his partner "smiling" and asked, "Do you believe him?" Machado had voted for Trump, believing enforcement would only target criminals.

What Happened

In March 2025, Machado was driving to work with two coworkers in Manassas, Virginia. ICE agents surrounded his pickup truck with guns drawn. They were looking for someone else — someone who wasn't in the vehicle.

The agents:
- Did not ask for ID despite Machado's offer to show it
- Handcuffed him
- Asked how he got into the country
- Asked if he had a pending immigration case
- When he said "I'm an American citizen," one agent smiled at his partner and asked: "Do you believe him?"

Machado is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He provided documentation. He was eventually released.

The Voter

In His Own Words

"I thought they were just going to go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals."

"They're just following Hispanic people."

Machado voted for Trump believing the rhetoric about targeting "the worst of the worst." He believed enforcement would be surgical — criminals only. Instead, agents surrounded his truck, drew guns, handcuffed him, and smiled when he said he was American.

What This Case Proves

  1. It's about race, not status. Machado is a citizen. He had documentation. The agents didn't want to see it. They saw a Hispanic man and assumed he was undocumented.

  2. The smile is the tell. When an ICE agent smiles and asks "Do you believe him?" after a citizen asserts his rights, that's not law enforcement. That's harassment backed by a badge.

  3. "Criminals only" was always a lie. Machado had no criminal record. He was driving to work. The person ICE was looking for wasn't in the vehicle. They detained him anyway because he looked the part.

Sources

  1. NBC News — "U.S. citizen detained by ICE questions vote for Trump: 'Just following Hispanic people'"
  2. NBC Washington — "'Just following Hispanic people': Citizen detained by ICE questions vote for Trump"
  3. Newsweek — "Trump supporter detained by ICE Agents regrets vote: 'Were all brainwashed'"

Dossier opened 2026-02-12 — Mortui Vivos Docent Intelligence Project