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Edinburg Family Reunites with Loved One Wrongfully Detained by ICE

4 years 8 months 5 days ago Wednesday, July 24 2019 Jul 24, 2019 July 24, 2019 4:23 PM July 24, 2019 in News - Local

EDINBURG – Conflicting reports and documents led to a U.S. citizen being detained.

Francisco Erwin Galicia, 18, made it home to the Rio Grande Valley early Wednesday morning; his brother was deported.

Galicia says he counted the days he was in custody.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement tells CHANNEL 5 NEWS there are reasons it took more time to verify his citizenship status.

Galicia was on his way to Dallas to see a college soccer coach with his brother, who is not a U.S. citizen.

The 18-year-old was stopped and questioned about his citizenship at the Falfurrias checkpoint.

His attorney says Galicia was detained because he allegedly had a fraudulent Mexican visa.

Galicia provided a birth certificate to Border Patrol agents.

An ICE and Customs and Border Protection joint statement explains why Galicia was detained.

It reads in part:

“This individual provided conflicting reports regarding status of citizenship after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement Custody.  Situations including conflicting reports from the individual and multiple birth certificates can, and should, take more time to verify. While we continue to research the facts of the situation…”

Galicia’s family will have to wait for his brother – hoping – to be whole again.

Watch the video above for the full story.

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