LOS ANGELES -- A U.S. citizen held at a border immigration center for 15 days has been released after an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer showed a birth certificate to federal authorities.
Guillermo Olivares Romero, who has robbery and forgery convictions and has been deported twice, was taken into custody at San Diego's Otay Mesa detention center on Sept. 25.
The 25-year-old Los Angeles man was released Oct. 9 when an ACLU attorney presented birth, school and vaccination records. Olivares told the Los Angeles Times that immigration authorities don't believe him when he shows his birth certificate.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said Olivares has claimed in the past that he was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and his criminal record shows he was born in Mexico.
U.S. Citizen Held for Weeks At Immigration Facility
Officials say man has claimed Mexican ties in past
Copyright AP - Associated Press
