Better safe than sorry - U.S. Citizen Detained for 10 Days in Arizona, Raising Concerns Over ICE Practices and Racial Profiling

TUCSON, Ariz. — Jose Hermosillo, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for 10 days in Arizona after being accused of illegally entering the country. The incident, which occurred on April 8, 2025, has ignited renewed scrutiny of ICE’s enforcement practices and allegations of racial profiling, particularly in border states like Arizona. Hermosillo was released on April 17, 2025, after a federal magistrate judge dismissed his case upon presentation of his birth certificate and Social Security card, confirming his U.S. citizenship.

According to court documents, Hermosillo was arrested near the Border Patrol headquarters in Nogales, Arizona, while visiting family in Tucson. Lacking identification at the time, he was apprehended by a Border Patrol agent who claimed Hermosillo admitted to illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Hermosillo, however, denied these claims, asserting he had never been to Nogales and was simply lost near the agency’s headquarters. His girlfriend’s aunt, Grace Layva, told Arizona Public Media (AZPM) that the family made numerous calls to locate him, eventually learning he was held at the Florence Correctional Center, a facility used by ICE for immigration detention. A family member’s attempt to secure his release was met with resistance, as officials reportedly provided no information.

Hermosillo’s detention is part of a broader pattern of U.S. citizens being mistakenly detained by immigration authorities, a phenomenon documented across multiple presidential administrations. A 2021 Government Accountability Office report found that between 2015 and 2020, ICE arrested 674 U.S. citizens and deported 70, underscoring systemic errors in immigration enforcement. Similarly, a 2016 NPR analysis reported that from 2007 to 2015, 818 U.S. citizens were held in immigration detention. Scholars argue these incidents often stem from inadequate verification processes and overreliance on appearance or proximity to the border as indicators of immigration status.

The case has fueled discussions about racial profiling, particularly in the context of ICE’s operations in Latino and Native American communities. A 2019 study published in The Conversation by scholars focused on U.S.-Mexico migration documented pervasive civil rights violations against Mexicans and Latinos, including disproportionate arrests and detentions based on race or ethnicity. The study noted that 70% of immigrants deported from the U.S. interior in 2015 were Mexican, despite Mexicans comprising less than half of the undocumented population. Additionally, a 2018 ProPublica investigation highlighted how ICE agents’ reliance on physical appearance during arrests often leads to constitutional violations, with immigration courts applying a higher bar for dismissing cases compared to criminal courts.

Hermosillo’s detention coincides with heightened immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has emboldened ICE to expand arrests and deportations. Since January 2025, the administration has revoked visas of foreign students and invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify expulsions, actions critics argue exacerbate errors like Hermosillo’s case. Legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern, writing on Bluesky, warned that such policies risk banishing U.S. citizens without due process, emphasizing the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection.

Community leaders, particularly in Arizona’s Navajo and Hispanic populations, have voiced concerns over ICE’s practices. A 2025 report by VisaVerge noted that ICE agents frequently fail to recognize tribal IDs as proof of citizenship, leading to wrongful detentions of Native Americans. These incidents erode trust in law enforcement, with families advising loved ones to carry multiple forms of identification to avoid similar ordeals.

Hermosillo’s release followed his family’s persistent advocacy and the presentation of irrefutable documentation. However, Layva expressed fear that without swift court intervention, he might have been deported. ICE and Customs and Border Protection have not commented on the case, though a Department of Homeland Security official denied allegations of misconduct, claiming Hermosillo identified himself as a Mexican citizen—a claim he and his family refute.

The incident underscores the need for reform in immigration enforcement, scholars argue. A 2020 Niskanen Center report criticized ICE’s policies for increasing the risk of mistaken detentions and racial profiling, urging localities to avoid agreements that expose them to legal liability. As Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) noted in a February 2025 letter to ICE, the agency’s failure to adhere to its own 2015 policy prohibiting the detention of U.S. citizens demands accountability to prevent further violations.

Hermosillo’s ordeal highlights the human cost of enforcement errors and the urgent need for oversight to protect citizens’ rights. As immigration policies intensify, advocates call for training, transparency, and stricter adherence to due process to ensure no American faces detention for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sources:

• Arizona Public Media, April 18, 2025.

• The Guardian, April 21, 2025.

• The Conversation, July 7, 2019.

• ProPublica, June 8, 2018.

• VisaVerge, April 15, 2025.

• Niskanen Center, December 14, 2020.

• NBC News, February 4, 2025.

• Hindustan Times, April 20, 2025

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