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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maya Yang

Florida releases US-born American citizen who was arrested on Ice orders

a mother hugs her son
Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, a US citizen, hugs his mother in Tallahassee, Florida, after his release from jail on 17 April 2025. Photograph: Thomas Kennedy via AP

A US-born American citizen who was arrested then detained in county jail at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in Florida, sparking uproar this week when he was accused of being in the US illegally, has been released.

An advocate for Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez had displayed his birth certificate in court initially, and the judge concluded it was authentic, but the 20-year-old was still put behind bars on Wednesday after a state prosector claimed the court did not have jurisdiction over his release because the federal authorities wanted him detained. Lopez-Gomez was released on Thursday evening.

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