Deported Man Was Actually U.S. Citizen
Via Forbes.com
Duarnis Perez became an American citizen when he was 15, but he didn't find out until after he had been deported and then jailed for trying to get back into the country.
He was facing his second deportation hearing when he learned he was already a U.S. citizen. Still, federal prosecutors fought to keep him in custody.
Last week, a federal judge scolded prosecutors for the mistake.
"In effect, the government is arguing that an innocent man who was wrongly convicted should not be released from the custody of the United States," U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn wrote. He ruled that Perez never should have been deported.
The case has gotten the attention of immigration observers, who call it a striking example of the gaps in an overworked immigration system.
Perez became a citizen when his mother was naturalized in 1988 but apparently wasn't aware of it. His lawyer, J. Jeffrey Weisenfeld of New York, declined to release details other than to say that Perez, now in his early 30s, remains in the United States.
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Duarnis Perez became an American citizen when he was 15, but he didn't find out until after he had been deported and then jailed for trying to get back into the country.
He was facing his second deportation hearing when he learned he was already a U.S. citizen. Still, federal prosecutors fought to keep him in custody.
Last week, a federal judge scolded prosecutors for the mistake.
"In effect, the government is arguing that an innocent man who was wrongly convicted should not be released from the custody of the United States," U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn wrote. He ruled that Perez never should have been deported.
The case has gotten the attention of immigration observers, who call it a striking example of the gaps in an overworked immigration system.
Perez became a citizen when his mother was naturalized in 1988 but apparently wasn't aware of it. His lawyer, J. Jeffrey Weisenfeld of New York, declined to release details other than to say that Perez, now in his early 30s, remains in the United States.
Continue reading
Posted by Ashwin Sharma at 8/25/2006 9:20 AM 
Categories: Citizenship and Naturalization, Detention and Removal, Articles and Commentaries
Categories: Citizenship and Naturalization, Detention and Removal, Articles and Commentaries
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