In April 2025, Jose Hermosillo, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was wrongfully detained by immigration authorities in Arizona for nearly 10 days. Hermosillo, who has intellectual disabilities and is illiterate, was visiting Tucson with his girlfriend when he became lost and approached a Border Patrol officer for assistance. Instead of receiving help, he was arrested on suspicion of being an undocumented immigrant.

According to Hermosillo, he informed the officer that he was from New Mexico, but the agent insisted he was from Mexico and proceeded with the arrest. Court documents later claimed that Hermosillo admitted to entering the U.S. illegally through Nogales, Arizona, and signed a statement to that effect. However, Hermosillo and his family contend that he never made such an admission and did not understand the document he was asked to sign, as it was not read to him.

Hermosillo was held at the Florence Correctional Center, a privately operated facility, where he repeatedly asserted his U.S. citizenship. Despite his family’s efforts to provide proof of his citizenship, including his birth certificate and Social Security card, he remained detained until a federal judge dismissed the case on April 17.

gressive immigration enforcement policies, which have led to the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens. Civil rights advocates argue that such cases highlight systemic issues within immigration enforcement agencies, including inadequate procedures for verifying citizenship and a lack of safeguards for individuals with disabilities.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has initiated an investigation into Hermosillo’s detention, stating, “It is wholly unacceptable to wrongfully detain U.S. citizens.”

Hermosillo’s case underscores the potential for civil liberties violations under stringent immigration policies and raises concerns about the treatment of vulnerable individuals within the enforcement system.