A family in Maryland is trying to find a woman arrested by U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement (ICE),
whose attorneys say is an American citizen
but the government insists is Mexican.
Agents arrested #Dulce #Consuelo #Diaz #Morales, 22, on December 14
in Baltimore while she was heading home with her sister.
Despite her saying she was born in the U.S.,
she was held in ICE custody after failing to prove citizenship, the agency said.
Attorneys rushed to get a court order keeping her in Maryland,
but the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) moved her to Louisiana anyway.
Speaking to the media Monday, attorneys representing Diaz Morales said they had not been able to reach their client,
who they say has no criminal record,
after being told by ICE to call the detention facility holding her earlier in the day.
“There is law here.
There is law written.
There are systems and circumstances of mandatory detention,
this is not one of them,”
Zachary Perez, supervising attorney at Sanabria & Associates, based in Maryland, told Newsweek Monday.
“Not once has the government alleged to us in our communications that this falls under mandatory detention for X, Y, Z.
“It is irregular. She could have been released yesterday,
she could have been released five minutes ago.
We’re not seeing the government assert that there are criminal proceedings, for instance,
or any additional charges that would necessitate holding her and transferring her, now twice.”
https://www.newsweek.com/ice-detains-maryland-woman-us-citizen-claims-dhs-denies-11257159