Latest news with #JoseHermosillo
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Citizen Detained for 10 Days Says DHS Lied About Everything
The U.S. government detained a U.S. citizen for 10 days on claims he was an undocumented immigrant, and then lied in their official account. Jose Hermosillo is a 19-year-old New Mexico resident who visited his girlfriend's family in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month. After suffering from a seizure, he was transported to a hospital by ambulance, and did not have his state ID. After being released from the Tucson hospital, Hermosillo did not know how to get back to where he was staying, he told the Popular Information newsletter. He sought out a police officer for help. That officer happened to work for Border Patrol, and asked Hermosillo where he was from and if he had papers. Hermosillo said 'New Mexico,' to which the officer replied, 'Don't make me [out] like [I'm] stupid. I know you're from Mexico.' Hermosillo was then arrested. But the Department of Homeland Security's account says something completely different. According to the DHS X account, 'Hermosillo's arrest and detention were a direct result of his own actions and statements.' 'Jose Hermosillo approached Border Patrol in Tucson Arizona stating he had ILLEGALLY entered the U.S. and identified himself as a Mexican citizen,' the account stated Monday. The DHS also released a supposed transcript of Hermosillo's conversation with a Border Patrol agent signed 'JOSE' in which Hermosillo said he was born in Mexico and illegally entered the U.S. According to Hermosillo's girlfriend, he has learning disabilities and is only able to write his own name. He told Popular Information that he did not graduate from high school, only finishing the 10th grade. According to the DHS report, Hermosillo 'read' their document or had it read to him, but he says that never happened. On top of that, the documents contain inaccurate information, claiming that Hermosillo was detained 'at or near Nogales, Arizona,' which is more than 70 miles away from Tucson. Hermosillo was then held in a cell with 15 other men at Florence Correctional Center, a privately run immigration detention facility, for 10 days before being released on April 17. Two days into his detention, he told a judge that he was a U.S. citizen, but prosecutors then asked that his hearing be rescheduled, with Hermosillo remaining in detention until then. Seven days later, at the next hearing, his family provided the immigration court with his birth certificate. While in detention, Hermosillo contracted the flu, but was not provided with any medicine after he requested it. His pleas to prison staff that he was a U.S. citizen were met with replies of 'call your lawyer.' Ultimately, while Hermosillo managed to secure his release, his account is a horror story of how quickly someone can be detained on the suspicion of being an undocumented immigrant, and how the government will even lie to keep someone in detention. The Trump administration is staunchly resisting any kind of legal safeguard to protect the rights of immigrants, or those mistakenly detained, blatantly denying people the right of due process.
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
U.S. citizen DHS detained for 10 days has intellectual disabilities, family claims
A 19-year-old U.S. citizen arrested by Customs and Border Protection agents earlier this month in Arizona and briefly prosecuted for illegal entry into the U.S. has intellectual disabilities, his family told CBS News. Jose Hermosillo was arrested on April 8 by CBP in Tucson and detained for 10 days. His family provided documentation proving his American citizenship, days after being taken into custody, according to court records and Department of Homeland Security assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security argued his arrest, which has attracted national attention, was a "direct result of his own actions and statements." A DHS spokesperson said Hermosillo approached a Border Patrol agent, said he had entered the U.S. illegally and identified himself as a Mexican citizen. The department also posted a copy of Hermosillo's sworn statement on X in which Hermosillo responded "yes" when asked if he had entered the U.S. illegally. The document shows a child-like signature that reads "Jose." In a phone interview Tuesday, Hermosillo's parents told CBS News their son suffers from intellectual disabilities, cannot read or write and has trouble speaking. They said he could not have possibly known what he was signing when he was detained. "He's never been able to read and was always in special education classes in school," Guadalupe Hermosillo, Hermosillo's mother, said in Spanish. According to his family, Hermosillo lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but was in Tucson earlier this month visiting his girlfriend's family. He left his girlfriend's relative's home and wandered away during the night, and it was during this walk that Hermosillo was detained by CBP, his parents said. Details of the arrest remain unclear. The initial April 9 criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Arizona by a Border Patrol agent says Hermosillo was found "at or near Nogales, Arizona without the proper immigration documents." The document referred to Hermosillo as an "alien" and charged him with "improper entry," a misdemeanor offense. But DHS later stated that he was arrested in Tucson. According to court documents, Hermosillo told the judge he was a U.S. citizen during his first appearance. A day later, Hermosillo's U.S. birth certificate was made available to the judge. When CBS News spoke with Hermosillo, he appeared to be distraught and confused. He said he cried every night at the detention center, describing it as a very cold place filled with sick people who were constantly coughing. "When I sleep, I dream that I'm still detained," Hermosillo said over the phone in Spanish. Representatives for DHS did not immediately respond to a CBS News request to comment on the allegations by Hermosillo and his parents, including about his intellectual disabilities. Hermosillo's mother said she was hospitalized after her son was detained because of the stress it caused. "I cried every day," she said. "I just wanted them to let him go." Jesus Hermosillo, Jose's father, told CBS News he received a call from an immigration official asking to confirm whether Jose was a U.S. citizen. He said he told the officials his son was born in Albuquerque. The Hermosillo family was able to locate their son at a detention center in Florence, Arizona. On April 17, a Tucson magistrate judge dismissed Hermosillo's criminal case. He was released the next day. CBS News has reached out to the court-appointed lawyer who represented Hermosillo. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said her office is looking into his case. "My office has reached out to ICE for answers on how this was allowed to happen to an American citizen. It is wholly unacceptable to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens," Mayes wrote on X.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
US citizen detained for 10 days after he was wrongly arrested at border
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.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
19-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Held For Around 10 Days After Border Mix-Up
Court documents reveal that immigration officials kept a 19-year-old U.S. citizen from New Mexico behind bars for around 10 days until a judge granted his release Thursday. The teen, Jose Hermosillo, told local news station AZPM that he and his girlfriend had been visiting family in Tucson, Arizona, before the incident. He told the outlet that, at one point, he got lost on foot, and that's when Border Patrol picked him up. The mistaken arrest comes as President Donald Trump's ongoing assault on all forms of immigration has led to reports of mistaken detentions and at least one mistaken deportation. The details of Hermosillo's story are scant and conflicting: A criminal complaint says that the officers detained him near Nogales, Arizona, which is around an hour south of Tucson by car. But Hermosillo told AZPM that he had never been to Nogales. The complaint states that the teen was detained April 8 after 'admitt[ing] to illegally entering the United States of America from Mexico on or about April 7, 2025, at or near Nogales, Arizona at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officials.' It describes him as 'a citizen of Mexico.' U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria S. Aguilera dismissed the case against Hermosillo during a morning hearing last Thursday. Grace Leyva, an aunt of Hermosillo's girlfriend, told AZPM that family members had to produce his birth certificate and Social Security card for officials as proof of his identity as an American. 'He did say he was a U.S. citizen, but they didn't believe him,' Leyva told the outlet. 'I think they would have kept him,' she went on. 'I think they would have if they would have not got that information yesterday in the court and gave that to ICE and the Border Patrol. He probably would have been deported already to Mexico.' Court records state that Hermosillo was asked whether he wanted to proceed in English or Spanish in court, and chose English. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said on social media that 'the narrative being pushed about Jose Hermosillo is false.' He had actually 'wanted to turn himself in and completed a sworn statement identifying as a Mexican citizen who had entered unlawfully,' she claimed, adding, 'This arrest was the direct result of Hermosillo's own actions and statements.' U.S.-Born Citizen Arrested As 'Unauthorized Alien' U.S. Doctor Gets Email From Immigration Officials: 'It Is Time For You To Leave' A Federal Judge Paused A Florida Immigration Law. The Arrests Continued Anyway. Democrat Says She Regrets Voting With Republicans On Immigration Bill Signed By Trump
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. citizen visiting Arizona detained by immigration agents for 10 days, family says
A U.S. citizen was detained for 10 days by immigration agents after being accused of illegally entering the United States while reportedly visiting Arizona this month, his family said. Jose Hermosillo, a 19-year-old who lives in Albuquerque, was detained near Nogales, Arizona, on April 8, court documents state. It alleges that he illegally entered the country from Mexico and was found "without the proper immigration documents." According to the court documents, Hermosillo "admitted to illegally entering the United States of America from Mexico on or about April 7, 2025." Arizona Public Media reported that Hermosillo and his girlfriend went to Tucson to reportedly visit family. The outlet reported that Hermosillo was lost and walking near the Border Patrol headquarters when he was detained. At the time, he did not have identification on him and denied being in Nogales, according to Arizona Public Media. Nogales, a city on the Mexico-U.S. border, is about 70 miles from Tucson. Hermosillo's girlfriend's aunt, Grace Layva, said the family learned that he was being detained in Florence Correctional Center in Arizona and gave officials his social security card and birth certificate. Hermosillo was released after 10 days, according to Arizona Public Media. His attorney did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on Monday. Layva said Hermosillo told the agents that he was from the U.S., but "they didn't believe him," according to the news outlet. "I think they would have kept him," she said. "He probably would have been deported already to Mexico." Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said his arrest "was the direct result of Hermosillo's own actions and statements." "The narrative being pushed about Jose Hermosillo is false," she said Monday in a post on X. McLaughlin said Hermosillo approached border patrol agents in Tucson, stated that he had illegally entered the country through Nogales, and wanted to turn himself in and complete "a sworn statement identifying as a Mexican citizen who had entered unlawfully." "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," McLaughlin said. "The charges were dismissed, and he was released to his family." Court documents show that his case was dismissed without prejudice on Thursday. This article was originally published on
