An American birth certificate has been held by ICE for nearly 10 months because of his actions

A person who has a U.S.Passport A 15-year-old man was punished for claiming to be born in Jamaica.migrant Authorities detained him for nearly 10 months and faced deportation. However, the latest investigation found that his birth certificate, early court records and his mother’s testimony support that he was born in Florida. Medical experts said his insistence that he was from abroad was a delusion caused by mental illness.

Phillip James, 39, is still being held in an immigration jail in Indiana, NBC 6 reports. Lawyers are appealing the order to deport him to Jamaica and are also applying to the Federal Court for his release. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) questioned his citizenship, saying that the birth certificate used to obtain his passport was fraudulent, but did not provide proof.

According to the Associated Press, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (snow ) does not have the authority to detain US citizens for immigration enforcement, but citizens have been detained for hours or days due to mistaken identity or inability to immediately confirm identity. Immigration lawyers said that if James was indeed wrongfully detained for about 10 months, although it is rare, it is not without precedent.

The birth certificate presented by the lawyer shows that James was born in 1987 in Orange County, Florida. His mother is an American citizen and his father is a Jamaican citizen. The Associated Press also obtained court documents from 1988 confirming his paternity. The date of birth, identification of parents, and Florida address all match the birth certificate. His mother said in the affidavit that he was suffering from mental illness since childhood.

James applied for and received a US passport under his birth name in 2008. After changing his name with court approval in 2023, he was issued a passport again. But starting in 2024, he successively applied for citizenship and protection from deportation, claiming to be born in Jamaica, adopted by a US citizen, and falsely claiming he was born in 1992. The government later revoked the passport and determined that he had another identity, but did not elaborate on the basis of the determination.

A medical evaluation before the court found that James was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He claims to be the illegitimate son of a former Prime Minister of Jamaica and a descendant of the Lebanese royal family. A psychologist believes that he is unable to speak credibly about his experiences due to severe mental illness and deep delusions. Jamaican officials said they could not find any birth or citizenship records.

ICE initiated deportation proceedings in December 2025 and arrested him on January 5 this year after attending an immigration court hearing. In April, an immigration judge ordered him deported to Jamaica. ICE cited his 2011 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, but documents from that criminal case and other cases also listed him as a U.S. citizen.

James initially defended himself, still claiming to be from Jamaica and to have Lebanese citizenship. After the Bronx Defenders took charge, he obtained a birth certificate and mother, and applied to federal court for release on August 19. He also appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The government has not yet admitted that it has made a mistake.

Former ICE Chief of Staff Deborah Fleischhacker believes the evidence supporting James’ citizenship is strong enough. He explained that even if Jamaica does not accept him, ICE may still try to send him to a third country; A federal judge has not yet ruled on whether he should be released.