An information technology specialist from Venezuela who was sent out for a site survey had a bad day at work when he showed up at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Florida.
Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, was arrested after authorities investigated his citizenship status and said he was violating U.S. immigration laws, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Camacho’s employer reportedly asked him to visit an office building on Jan. 6 to conduct a site survey for a new intercom system, but it turned out to be the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Dania Beach, Fla.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials began vetting his background and determined he had overstayed his tourist visa, DHS officials told Fox News Digital.
Camacho was arrested last month and transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.
“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to Fox News.
“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”
NBC6 News Miami reported that Camacho is a systems engineer with a master’s degree in telecommunications. He thought it was “just another job,” so he was surprised when he ended up in handcuffs.
“I say, ‘Good morning. I’m Angel. And they say, ‘Oh yes, we are waiting for you,’” he recalled in an exclusive interview with NBC6 Investigates. “They say, ‘I have to detain you.’ I said, ‘What are you? Joking?'”
As requested, his employer submitted his driver’s license in advance for security screening and was told Camacho was “approved” for entry.
Fox News reported he has a criminal history including theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said.
But NBC6 News reported that he is a Venezuelan asylum seeker with no criminal history. He reportedly received temporary protected status after arriving in the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2016.
Camacho has applied for permanent residency as the spouse of an American citizen and has American-born children. He also spent 30 days at “Alligator Alcatraz” before eventually getting a bond hearing. He was released with an ankle monitor after 30 days at the Everglades detention camp, NBC6 News reported.
Although Camacho visited the station for a site survey, it is unclear whether he was working as a government contractor on behalf of a company with a federal government contract or one bidding on a possible job.
Federal contractors typically go through a background check process before being hired and need proper credentials to enter federal facilities.
The Dania Beach Border Patrol Station’s area of responsibility includes the counties of Dade, Broward, Lee and Collier, serving as “the crossroads for most of the air and sea traffic from South America and the Caribbean entering the United States.”
The station serves the international airports in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and two international seaports, Port of Miami and Port Everglades. It is the largest CBP station in the Miami Sector.
