My name is Antonio Montejano, and I live in Los Angeles, California, and I am an American citizen.
And I was detained for immigration.
I went to Sears that day to buy merchandise for the holidays, for Christmas, and things the family needs. My older kid – eight years old – he asked me if I can buy him like a bottle [of] perfume. I put the perfume in the bag by mistake. I started to continue shopping with my family.
When I paid [for] everything, I started to go outside the store. Close to the entrance, one of the clerks from Sears, he stopped me. I realized my mistake and I offered to pay.
I’m not that kind of person. I don’t have any problems with the police, with nobody. I was tell[ing] every officer, “I’m an American citizen.” Nobody believed me when I say “I’m American citizen”.
When somebody asks you if you are an American citizen, and they don’t believe you, that’s so bad. When they take me to LA County Jail, they put me on cell. In those cells I don’t have a mattress, no blankets, no bed to sleep.
I was five days away from my family. My wife tells me my daughter, especially her, she cries every day. Yeah.
When I came back home after being arrested and staying in the jail, my son, my older son, asked me, “Hey Daddy, can they take me because I look like you?” Because he’s worried. He’s worried that he’s going to be detained. Eight years old, thinking like that. Because he looks like me. They think you don’t belong to here, that’s why. Because they can do that to my family. Yeah.
I’m an American citizen, but nobody believed me.