Francisco Galicia, who was born in Dallas but currently lives in the border town of Edinburg, was in ICE custody for nearly a month despite showing proof of citizenship at the time of his arrest.
Galicia stated he was driving with his younger brother who was born in Mexico and living in the US undocumented when authorities pulled them over. Galicia presented his social security card, drivers license, and his birth certificate but Border Patrol still detained him and transferred him to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
A top U.S. Border Patrol official on Thursday testified that Francisco Erwin Galicia, was detained by immigration services for more than 20 days, and did not tell officers he was from the U.S.
"Throughout the process, and while he was with Border Patrol, he claimed to be a citizen of Mexico with no immigration documents to be in or remain in the U.S." The Patrol agent stated.
“We are seeking compensation for his wrongful detention under the Federal Tort Claims Act,” Francisco’s Lawyer stated in a press statement.
ICE declined on Thursday to comment on the allegations.
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