Popular Info / Judd Legum - U.S. citizen wrongly detained by Border Patrol says government account is false

Jose Hermosillo was held in a detention facility for undocumented immigrants for 10 days. In his first media interview, he tells his story.

Judd Legum
Apr 23, 2025

On April 8, Jose Hermosillo, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen, was wrongfully incarcerated by immigration authorities in Arizona, who claimed he was an undocumented immigrant. He was held for 10 days at Florence Correctional Center, a privately run immigration detention facility, before being released on April 17.

These facts are not disputed.

On X, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, "Hermosillo's arrest and detention were a direct result of his own actions and statements." According to DHS, "Jose Hermosillo approached Border Patrol in Tucson Arizona stating he had ILLEGALLY entered the U.S. and identified himself as a Mexican citizen." DHS also released what purports to be a transcript of Hermosillo's conversation with a Border Patrol agent signed "JOSE." In the transcript, Hermosillo allegedly said he was born in Mexico, was a citizen of Mexico, and entered the United States illegally.

In an interview with Popular Information, his first with any media outlet, Hermosillo said DHS's account was false.

According to Hermosillo, he was visiting his girlfriend's family in Tucson from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Several hours before his arrest, Hermosillo was transported to a hospital in Tucson by ambulance after suffering from a seizure. He has a New Mexico state ID, but did not take it with him during the medical emergency.

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