U.S. Citizen, Coincidentally a Mexican-American, Jailed as “Illegal”

The Dallas Star-Telegram reports that a native Texan spent the night in an Arlington Jail, missed her children’s first day of school,and feared being deported after authorities mistook her for an undocumented immigrant.  A U.S. citizen born in Dallas, Texas, Alicia Rodriguez, an accountant and mother of three, has the same name and date of birth as a woman deported to Mexico three times. “I was told I was waiting for an [immigration] officer or Border Patrol officer to interview me and then move me to another location. It was very scary,” the Mansfield woman said.

Now some might say that all Texans are “foreigners” who should be deported but that is not the law.  It does seem a funny coincidence that Alicia Rodriguez just happened to have a Spanish surname and be Mexican American, like many other Texans (and U.S. citizens).

KJ