Related videos:
An American citizen, Mario René López, reported the poor conditions inside ICE detention centers in Virginia after spending three years locked up while the government attempted to deport him.
The man obtained U.S. citizenship as a teenager through derived citizenship after his mother's naturalization. López was released a few days ago following a judge's decision and shared his experience in an interview broadcast by Noticias Telemundo.
According to the report, López was born in El Salvador and became a U.S. citizen at the age of 16 when his mother was naturalized, a process referred to in the text as "derived citizenship."
The case had a history: in 2009, while serving a prison sentence, the government — as reported — acknowledged that he was a citizen. However, the report states that in January 2023, and “without having committed any crimes,” ICE arrested him and actively sought to deport him for three years.
Finally, he was released following a court decision and was already at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, when he spoke with Telemundo.
López reported that he was held in the detention centers of Farmville and Caroline, both in Virginia, and asserted that he experienced conditions he described as overcrowding and labeled as "sadness."
In his testimony, he stated that within those facilities there were individuals in need of medical attention who, according to his account, did not receive appropriate responses, including cases of detainees with hernias.
The judicial decision that halted the deportation
According to the report, the case was resolved following a ruling from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which lifted the deportation orders against López and ordered the termination of the removal proceedings.
The document adds that the ruling also clarifies how derivative citizenship should be interpreted for individuals born in countries like El Salvador and could serve as a guideline in similar cases.
Lawyer Benjamín Osorio, mentioned in the report, explained that they will pursue two actions: request the citizenship certificate as formal evidence and file a lawsuit against the government for the detention, claiming that ICE "has no right" to detain American citizens, as well as trying to recover money for the time spent in custody.
Following his release, López thanked his lawyers and his family, stating that his priority is to start anew, although he acknowledged that "I can no longer recover the time."
According to Telemundo, he now wants to return to his work as an electrician and make up for lost time with his family. During the lockdown, he said that in addition to fighting for his case, he spent time composing songs, intending to record them and share his message upon his release.
The report frames the case in a broader context and states that, according to official figures mentioned by Telemundo, there are currently more than 70,000 detained immigrants in detention centers across the country.
Filed under: