ICE Suspends Deportation Efforts for Maryland Woman After Citizenship Verification
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ceasing deportation proceedings against a woman from Prince George’s County who has long contested her citizenship status, according to court documents. This decision comes after Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales, a 22-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, spent months substantiating her claim to U.S. citizenship.
Diaz Morales was detained by federal agents in December during what her attorney alleges was a targeted traffic stop in Baltimore. Initially, ICE identified her as a Mexican national named Dulce Consuelo Madrigal Díaz, asserting that she was residing in the United States unlawfully.
Her legal team reported that she was placed in deportation proceedings, despite providing immigration authorities with her Maryland birth certificate. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, subsequently requested additional documentation to establish her citizenship, including a U.S. passport. However, her attorneys indicated that she did not possess a passport at the time.
Gunter Sanabria, president of the law firm representing Diaz Morales, announced in a news release that she received her U.S. passport on June 1. Following this development, the Department of Homeland Security submitted a motion on Monday to dismiss her case based on what they termed “good cause.”
Sanabria emphasized that Diaz Morales’ experience should serve as a reassuring reminder for everyone who fears an environment where individuals are routinely challenged about their citizenship status. “This case has loudly proven that unless the government tells you otherwise, you are legal,” he stated.
At the time of the announcement, representatives from ICE and DHS had not provided any clarification regarding the reasons for dropping the charges against Diaz Morales. Notably, on December 14, she was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her sister when federal agents surrounded the car and detained her.
Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales is recognized as the first Maryland-born individual targeted by heightened immigration enforcement actions during the Trump administration. Following her arrest, ICE transferred her among various detention facilities across Louisiana, Texas, and New Jersey five times in just 25 days, as reported by her attorneys. This included spending Christmas and New Year’s apart from her family, including her young son.
In January, Diaz Morales spoke to reporters, expressing her shock during the arrest and recounting the difficult conditions she faced while being moved between detention centers. “They told me I had only two options: buy a ticket or be deported,” she recalled. “I told them I was born here.”
Her initial detention traced back to a January 2023 encounter at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, where she informed Customs and Border Protection officials of her Mexican nationality. Her family asserts that she was residing in Mexico at the time but made an urgent trip to the United States and could not bring all her documentation. After missing several court hearings, an immigration judge eventually ordered her removal, but her attorney argued that she should never have been summoned to immigration court, as a U.S. citizen is not subject to its jurisdiction.
ICE ultimately released Diaz Morales on January 7, but she was required to wear an ankle monitor and participate in frequent in-person check-ins with immigration officials.
