He is a US citizen, but claims he was deported four times: the story of Miguel Silvestre

Arrests and deportations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are continuing across the country. Alongside reports of indiscriminate raids and human rights violations in detention centers, some accounts claim that US citizens have also been deported.

Such is the case of Miguel Silvestre, born in Stockton, California, who says he has been deported four times – the first in 1999, after Stockton police arrested him for public intoxication. At the time, Silvestre was 21 and was deported to Nogales.

Although he showed his birth certificate to return to the US, he was denied entry. He told Univision that his father had to bring him documents to prove his citizenship. In 2004, he was deported again, and this time his mother stepped in to help verify his status.

This year, Silvestre faced a similar ordeal after receiving a notice of expedited removal, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The California man told the paper that when he learned of the deportation process, he felt suicidal. But he said he sensed his late mother, who died in 2023, was looking after him, and decided to go back home.

DHS: “ICE does not deport U.S. citizens”

After the Chronicle published Silvestre’s story, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement clarifying that ICE does not deport American citizens.

“In 1999, this man was deported because he claimed to be a Mexican citizen with no legal status to remain in the United States. He reentered the country at an unknown date and place. In 2004, removal proceedings were initiated and it was discovered he was a US citizen, so the case was canceled. This individual has no active immigration case and is not the subject of ICE enforcement action,” the agency posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Once again, the media is shamefully spreading a false narrative in an attempt to demonize our ICE officers, who are already facing an 830% increase in assaults,” the DHS added.

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