U.S. citizen DHS detained for 10 days has intellectual disabilities, family claims
Jose Hermosillo, a U.S. citizen who was detained by DHS for 10 days and prosecuted for illegal entry into the U.S. has intellectual disabilities, his family claims.
www.cbsnews.com
“… Jose Hermosillo was arrested on April 8 by CBP in Tucson and detained for 10 days. His family provided documentation proving his American citizenship, days after being taken into custody, according to court records and Department of Homeland Security assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
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In a phone interview Tuesday, Hermosillo's parents told CBS News their son suffers from intellectual disabilities, cannot read or write and has trouble speaking. They said he could not have possibly known what he was signing when he was detained.
"He's never been able to read and was always in special education classes in school," Guadalupe Hermosillo, Hermosillo's mother, said in Spanish.
According to his family, Hermosillo lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but was in Tucson earlier this month visiting his girlfriend's family. He left his girlfriend's relative's home and wandered away during the night, and it was during this walk that Hermosillo was detained by CBP, his parents said.
… Details of the arrest remain unclear. The initial April 9
criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Arizona by a Border Patrol agent says Hermosillo was found "at or near Nogales, Arizona without the proper immigration documents." The document referred to Hermosillo as an "alien" and charged him with "improper entry," a misdemeanor offense.
…But DHS later stated that he was arrested in Tucson. According to court documents, Hermosillo told the judge he was a U.S. citizen during his first appearance. A day later, Hermosillo's U.S. birth certificate was made available to the judge.
… When CBS News spoke with Hermosillo, he appeared to be distraught and confused. He said he cried every night at the detention center, describing it as a very cold place filled with sick people who were constantly coughing. …”