25-year-old Brian José Morales García returned to the United States from Mexico on Sunday (August 30) after reaching an agreement with the US government and his lawyers.
In April this year, Morales García was detained near Fredericksburg, Texas, during a traffic stop. At that time, he told immigration authorities that he was a US citizen and claimed that his birth certificate and social security-related documents were kept at his home in Austin. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) questioned this, accusing him of illegal entry, ultimately leading to his deportation to Mexico.
Subsequently, his lawyers submitted more evidence supporting his claim of being born in Denver, Colorado. Federal officials agreed to allow him entry into the US while the case continued to be processed.
Lawyer Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch stated that on August 30, the federal government proposed an agreement allowing Morales García to enter the country during the case proceedings. She and co-counsel Dicky Grigg then met with him in Laredo.
Court documents show that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agreed to allow Morales García entry on the condition that he present his birth certificate and a photo ID at the designated port of entry at a specified time.
The supplementary evidence submitted by the legal team included certified Colorado birth records, US birth certificate, social security card, baptism records, his own statement, more comprehensive hospital records, and a sworn affidavit from a witness testifying to his birth. As a result, federal officials are re-evaluating the case.
Morales García and the federal government have requested the court to cancel the scheduled hearing on September 8. The hearing was originally set to address his preliminary injunction application, allowing him to enter Mexico without needing to show a passport.
Morales García stated that he was born in Denver but spent most of his childhood in Mexico before returning to Texas to live and work, while also holding Mexican citizenship.