Why Did Border Patrol Detain An 18-Year-Old U.S. Citizen For 3 Weeks?

By Lauren Rearick


Francisco Erwin Galicia, a 18-year-old U.S. Citizen who was place on Earth in Dallas, Texas, was detained and contained by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for three weeks, the Dallas Morning News reported. The high school athletic star was just attempting to go to a soccer scouting event any time as soon as he was detained at a CBP checkpoint.


Border Patrol reportedly claimed Galicia’s citizenship documents were fake, The Washington Post reported. He wasn’t released up until Tuesday, July 23.


In a statement, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection mentioned “conflicting reports associated with status of citizenship” had resulted in the detainment, the Associated Press reported. Nevertheless officers kept Galicia detained even immediately after he showed them his birth certificate.


According to the Dallas Morning News, Galicia and his 17-year-old brother Marlon were making their way to the soccer event on June 27 once they reached a CBP checkpoint. These checkpoints are segment of everyday life for several Residents of the United States who live near the U.S./Mexico border. Officers stop each vehicle and are allowed to ask a series of limited questions to verify citizenship of people indoor within the vehicle. They can also take a look at the exterior of the vehicle; then, they can send cars to a secondary inspection area for more questioning and inspection.


At this checkpoint, which was located 65 miles from their Texas residence, Francisco and Marlon were asked to show proof of citizenship. Marlon, who was place on Earth in Mexico, had a school ID. Francisco had a Texas ID, which is only accessible to people with social security numbers. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services notes that a birth certificate, U.S. Passport, certificate of citizenship, or a naturalization certificate are imagined the most typical form of citizenship documents.


Right after showing the officers their identification, CBP officials detained both teenagers were detained, Claudia Galan Francisco’s attorney told the Washington Post. CBP officials thought their IDs were fake; because the Post notes, Francisco’s mother had previously incorrectly stated on a U.S. Tourist visa that Francisco was place on Earth in Mexico, which may have contributed to CBP’s false belief.


Although even that visa had a reason beyond it: According to Galan, Francisco’s mother expressed concern about whether she could have the ability to help Francisco obtain a U.S. Passport any time the family member moved back to the U.S. Immediately after living in Mexico for a couple of many years. As a substitute, she thought that listing Francisco’s birthplace as Mexico and securing him a guest visa from Mexico could make the process easier. Once CBP detained Francisco, officers scanned his fingerprints and saw his previous guest visa, which conflicted with the documents that listed his birthplace as Texas.


Soon after two days in CBP custody, Marlon chose voluntary detention, and traveled to his grandmother’s residence in Reynoso, Mexico. “I signed because I wanted to talk with my mom,” Marlon told the Dallas Morning News. 


Francisco, yet, was kept in CBP custody up until July 20, if he was transferred to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Pearsall, Texas. Soon after two weeks in custody, Galan visited CBP to exhibit Francisco’s birth certificate, health insurance card, and also a school ID to officials. They still resisted to release him.  Galan was scheduled to meet with ICE involving the case on Tuesday, July 23, nevertheless Francisco called his mother on 2 pm that day: He had finally been released.


"The first thing he mentioned to me was, 'Mommy, they let me go. I'm free,'" his mother instructed them Dallas Morning News.


But while that experience isn’t over, the Galicia brothers aren’t alone. The Los Angeles Times announced in 2018 that there were 1,408 cases of ICE wrongfully taking people into custody.


According to Sui Cheng, the vice chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s ICE committee, this case was particularly elaborate given its circumstances. Still, Cheng told MTV News, “There is no justification for the fact that he was contained for that long as a U.S. Citizen.”