AP investigation: Documents support claim ICE has detained a mentally ill US citizen since January
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - For almost a year, immigration authorities have detained and sought to deport a mentally ill man whose mother, lawyers and public records say was born in the United States and not Jamaica as he claims,…
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – For almost a year, immigration authorities have detained and sought to deport a mentally ill man whose mother, lawyers and public records say was born in the United States and not Jamaica as he claims, a review.
What happened
When officers mistake identities or can't immediately verify citizenship, immigration and Customs Enforcement has no authority to detain U.S. Citizens, but has long done so, usually for hours or days. Immigration lawyers say a almost 10-month improper detention would be rare but not unprecedented.
For context, the Department of Homeland Security. It oversees ICE, disputes that the man is a U.S. Citizen and alleges, without providing evidence, that the birth certificate he submitted to obtain a U.S. Passport that he held for 15 years was fraudulent. But AP's review discovered documents that backing claims by his mother and legal team that he was born in Florida and therefore not subject to ICE's authority.
The bottom line
Taken together, the developments around AP investigation: Documents support claim ICE has detained a mentally ill US point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.
