A New Mexico teenager was detained by immigration agents while reportedly visiting Arizona this month after being accused of illegally entering the United States, his family said.
Jose Hermosillo, 19, was detained near Nogales, Arizona, on April 8, court documents state. It alleges that he illegally entered the country from Mexico and was found “without the proper immigration documents.”
According to the court documents, Hermosillo “admitted to illegally entering the United States of America from Mexico on or about April 7, 2025.”
Arizona Public Media reported that Hermosillo, who lives in Albuquerque, and his girlfriend went to Tucson to reportedly visit family.
The outlet reported that Hermosillo was lost and walking near the Border Patrol headquarters when he was detained. At the time, he did not have identification on him and denied being in Nogales, according to Arizona Public Media.
Nogales, a city on the Mexico-U.S. border, is about 70 miles from Tucson.
Hermosillo’s girlfriend’s aunt, Grace Layva, said the family learned that he was being detained in Florence Correctional Center in Arizona and gave officials his social security card and birth certificate.
Hermosillo was released after 10 days, according to Arizona Public Media. His attorney did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Monday.
Layva said Hermosillo told the agents that he was from the U.S., but “they didn’t believe him,” according to the news outlet.
“I think they would have kept him,” she said. “He probably would have been deported already to Mexico.”
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said his arrest “was the direct result of Hermosillo’s own actions and statements.”
“The narrative being pushed about Jose Hermosillo is false,” she said Monday in a post on X.
McLaughlin said Hermosillo approached border patrol agents in Tucson, stated that he had illegally entered the country through Nogales, and wanted to turn himself in and complete “a sworn statement identifying as a Mexican citizen who had entered unlawfully.”
“He was processed and appeared in court on April 11. Afterward, he was held by the U.S. Marshals in Florence, AZ. A few days later, his family presented documents showing U.S. citizenship,” McLaughlin said. “The charges were dismissed, and he was released to his family.”
Court documents show that his case was dismissed without prejudice on Thursday.
