A US citizen was arrested for 10 days by immigration officers after being accused of illegally entering the country while reportedly visiting Arizona earlier this month, according to his family.
However, the Department of Homeland Security stated that Jose Hermosillo’s detention “was the direct result of Hermosillo’s own actions and statements.”
Hermosillo, 19, an Albuquerque resident, was captured near Nogales, Arizona, on April 8, according to court filings. They claim he illegally entered the nation from Mexico and was discovered “without proper immigration documents.”
According to court records, Hermosillo “admitted to illegally entering the United States of America from Mexico on or about April 7, 2025.”
According to Arizona Public Media, Hermosillo and his girlfriend travelled to Tucson to visit family.
According to the publication, Hermosillo was lost and walking near Border Patrol headquarters when he was apprehended. He had no identification and denied being in Nogales, according to Arizona Public Media.
Nogales, a city on the Mexico-US border, is approximately 70 miles from Tucson.
Grace Layva, Hermosillo’s girlfriend’s aunt, claimed the family learnt he was jailed in Arizona’s Florence Correctional Centre and gave officials his Social Security card and birth certificate.
Hermosillo was released after ten days, according to Arizona Public Media. His attorney did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment on Monday.
Layva claimed that Hermosillo told agents he was from the United States, but “they didn’t believe him,” according to the news source.
“I think they would have kept him,” she explained. “He probably would have been deported already to Mexico.”
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, stated that “the narrative being pushed about Jose Hermosillo is false.”
According to McLaughlin, Hermosillo approached Border Patrol officials in Tucson and stated that he had illegally entered the nation through Nogales and wanted to surrender himself in and provide “a sworn statement identifying as a Mexican citizen who had entered unlawfully.”
“He was processed and appeared in court on April 11th.” After that, he was detained by US Marshals in Florence, Arizona. “A few days later, his family presented documents proving his US citizenship,” McLaughlin added. “The charges were dismissed, and he was released to his family.”
The government issued a copy of a sworn statement signed by Hermosillo stating that he was born in Mexico and is a citizen of Mexico. According to the statement, he was on his way to Tucson and had entered the United States for work.
According to court documents, his case was dismissed without prejudice on Thursday.