An American citizen was arrested in Florida and held for delivery to immigration authorities, although his mother showed a judge her son's birth certificate and she decided to dismiss the charges. The charge of illegal entry to Florida was dropped after identification documents of the young man were presented.
Juan Carlos López, 20 years old, was detained in a vehicle that was stopped by the Florida Highway Patrol after crossing the Georgia border. López Gómez and other passengers were arrested under a Florida law that penalizes illegal entry into the state, although this law is currently suspended.
Although it was not confirmed whether López Gómez showed citizenship documents to the officers, the judge in charge of the case determined that there were no grounds for the charge, resulting in the young man's release.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested that López Gómez remain in custody for 48 hours, but the young man was released after his case received extensive media coverage.
ICE, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws, has not commented on this particular case. Typically, the agency does not have jurisdiction over citizens born in the United States.
A federal judge also suspended the implementation of the Florida law that penalizes illegal entry into the state, raising confusion about why an American citizen was detained under these circumstances. Immigration attorney for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Alana Greer, expressed her bewilderment and stated that no one should be arrested under that particular law.
