U.S. Citizen Represented by Civil Rights Groups Files Federal Claims After Violent Immigration Stop in Charlotte

MEDIA CONTACTS:

ACLU-NC, [email protected], (919) 606-7551
Southern Coalition for Social Justice, [email protected], (830) 481-6901

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FEB. 26, 2026) — Today, Willy Wender Aceituno, a U.S. citizen, took steps to sue the U.S. government and filed federal damages claims after a confrontation in Charlotte late last year where armed and masked immigration agents shattered his car window, violently pulled him from his vehicle, and wrongfully detained him despite having already confirmed his citizenship.

Aceituno is also one of five plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit filed last week challenging unlawful warrantless immigration arrests in North Carolina.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina (ACLU‑NC), Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), and Tin Fulton Walker & Owen, PLLC (TFWO) submitted the claims on Aceituno’s behalf under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and other involved Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies.

The FTCA allows individuals to sue the United States for injuries suffered as a result of unlawful conduct by federal agents.

On November 15, 2026, Aceituno was stopped twice within minutes by armed, masked immigration agents in a restaurant parking lot while getting food before work. After confirming his citizenship during the first stop, agents left. Moments later, Aceituno was again surrounded by masked federal agents, who shattered his car window and violently pulled him to the ground. Despite repeated statements from Aceituno and bystanders that his identification had already been verified, agents handcuffed him. A video of this portion of the incident was widely circulated across social media and news outlets.

Agents placed Aceituno, handcuffed and bleeding, into an unmarked SUV with other individuals who appeared to be Latino. They were driven around Charlotte before agents again confirmed Aceituno was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record. He was released more than two miles from his vehicle without explanation, medical assistance, or transportation.

The immigration agents’ actions caused Aceituno physical injuries, severe emotional distress, and damage to his property. What should have been a routine commute to work became a terrifying and degrading public ordeal that continues to undermine his sense of safety and belonging.

Aceituno’s arrest occurred during DHS’s “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” which deployed a surge of immigration agents into Charlotte and other parts of North Carolina on November 15, 2025, resulting in widespread community fear and disruption.

“Mr. Aceituno’s full account is harrowing,” said Michele Delgado, staff attorney at the ACLU of North Carolina. “What he was subjected to is not law enforcement — it’s abuse. And it reflects a broader pattern of aggressive tactics that are inflicting real harm on our communities.”

The claims against the immigration agents include false arrest, unlawful detention, assault, excessive force, infliction of emotional distress, interference with personal property, negligent supervision, and violations of the Fourth Amendment (unlawful search and seizure), the Fifth Amendment (denial of due process), and federal enforcement standards.

The filing of these claims advances accountability in response to federal overreach and underscores that no federal agency is above the Constitution.

“There was no legal justification for the violence and trauma inflicted by federal immigration against Mr. Aceituno,” said Jake Sussman, Chief Counsel for Justice System Reform at SCSJ. “The federal government is responsible for this dangerous and reckless behavior, and this filing is the first step in holding those responsible to account.”

View the full claim below.

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