After being detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint in South Texas, Francisco Galicia is the latest U.S. citizen under threat of deportation
Austin, TX – An 18-year-old U.S. citizen has been in immigration custody for more than three weeks, and is now under imminent threat of deportation, the Dallas Morning News first reported. Francisco Galicia was detained, along with his 17-year-old brother, at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in South Texas while on his way to a soccer tryout and today remains in ICE custody.
Mario Carrillo, State Director of America’s Voice Texas, issued the following statement: “It’s unconscionable that a U.S. citizen, born right here in Texas, remains in ICE custody for three weeks, despite his mother having provided proof of citizenship to immigration authorities.
“This is far from the first case in which a U.S. citizen has been detained by ICE, but with recent changes by the Trump administration to fast-track deportations without due process, cases like Francisco Galicia’s will likely become more common.
“Galicia’s case is further proof that the Trump administration cares little about legality and would instead prefer to continue instilling fear into communities of color. Our Senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, have yet to say anything about a fellow Texan, a U.S. citizen and a constituent of theirs being detained, and their silence is nothing more than complicity with an administration that has made anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric a staple. We demand that our state’s leaders show up for all Texans, not only the ones the President deems ‘American enough.’”
