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A 19-year-old US Citizen was arrested close to the southern border and held for 10 days by the Department of Homeland Security, the agency has confirmed.
Jose Hermosillo, a New Mexico resident, was in Tucson to visit relatives when he was taken into custody on April 8, his girlfriend told Arizona Public Media.
Officials have maintained that the father-of-one’s arrest “was the direct result of Hermosillo’s own actions and statements.” The DHS said that Hermosillo’s arrest “was the direct result of [his] own actions and statements.” The agency also noted that when an officer confronted him, Hermosillo was “without the proper immigration documents.”
Documents in the case allege that Hermosillo “admitted to illegally entering the United States of America from Mexico on or about April 7, 2025.”
The agency also said that Hermosillo was arrested close to Border Patrol headquarters in Nogales, Arizona, on the US-Mexico border, some 70 miles from Tucson.
His girlfriend’s aunt, Grace Leyva, told AZPM that Hermosillo was held at Florence Correctional Center, 60 miles north of Tucson. In total, he spent 10 days in custody. He was released after relatives presented his birth certificate and social security card to the authorities.
“He did say he was a U.S. citizen, but they didn’t believe him,” Leyva said.
“I think they would have kept him. I think they would have if they had not got that information yesterday in the court and given that to ICE and the Border Patrol.
“He probably would have been deported already to Mexico.”
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, described Hermosillo’s “narrative” about the events as “false” in a post on X.
McLaughlin said that Hermosillo approached a CBP officer in Nogales and told him that he was a Mexican citizen and that he wanted to turn himself in.
“He was processed and appeared in court on April 11. Afterward, he was held by the U.S. Marshals in Florence, AZ. A few days later, his family presented documents showing U.S. citizenship. The charges were dismissed, and he was released to his family.”
The charges against Hermosillo were dropped without prejudice on Thursday.
Immigrants can be deported from the United States, while citizens cannot. Deportation is covered by immigration law, which does not apply to U.S. citizens. Part of being a citizen means you cannot be forcibly sent to another country.
Last week, a New Hampshire lawyer who has been a U.S citizen for the past 10 years was detained at the U.S. border without explanation.
Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, were returning from a family vacation in Canada when officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped them as they were re-entering the country in Vermont.
The Independent contacted the Department of Homeland Security for information.
