According to Hermosillo, he was visiting his girlfriend’s family in Tucson from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Several hours before his arrest, Hermosillo was transported to a hospital in Tucson by ambulance after suffering from a seizure. He has a New Mexico state ID, but did not take it with him during the medical emergency.
After being released from the hospital following treatment, Hermosillo did not know how to return to where he was staying. He approached the Border Patrol officer because he was looking for someone to help him. “I saw a car, and I ask[ed] him for help,” Hermosillo said. He told the officer that he was staying in Tucson.
“You’re not from here. Do you have your papers?” the officer said, according to Hermosillo. When the officer asked where he was from, Hermosillo said he told the officer, “New Mexico.” The officer then accused Hermosillo of lying. “Don’t make me [out] like [I’m] stupid,” the officer said. “I know you’re from Mexico.” After that, Hermosillo said, he was arrested.
Every “mistake” is a push against normalcy, to see what they can get people to accept.
If they cared about keeping the threats tightly limited to only “bad illegals”, they’d make it a priority to verify and release anyone who claims to be legal ASAP. If that was their true goal, these fuckups would be seen as a major risk to the goal. But it isn’t. It was never about enforcing immigration law.