<\/p>\n
Brian Jos\u00e9 Morales Garc\u00eda (right) poses with his younger brother Miguel Angel Morales Garc\u00eda.<\/p>\n
Contributed by Brian Jose Morales Garcia\/Contributed<\/p>\n
A 25-year-old Austin man <\/a>returned to the United States from Mexico over the weekend after being deported despite telling federal immigration officials he was a U.S. citizen, according to his attorneys.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brian Jos\u00e9\u00a0Morales Garc\u00eda was deported in April<\/a> after a traffic stop in Fredericksburg. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and\u00a0Gillespie County sheriff’s deputies who pulled over his work vehicle did not believe him when he said he was a U.S. citizen and contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Federal immigration officials disputed that Morales Garc\u00eda was a U.S. citizen and accused him of entering the country illegally, according to Morales Garc\u00eda’s attorneys.<\/p>\n After Morales Garc\u00eda’s legal team \u2014 Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, Dicky Grigg and Chad Dunn \u2014 filed a challenge to his deportation and provided additional documentation confirming his U.S. citizenship, the Justice Department allowed him to return to the United States while the lawsuit proceeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Sunday, Lincoln-Goldfinch and Grigg went to Laredo to bring Morales Garc\u00eda home.<\/p>\n In a post on X, Lincoln-Goldfinch said DHS released Morales Garc\u00eda to her at the Laredo border after months of litigation. She said the legal team would continue pursuing compensation for damages.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n I am Brian\u2019s lawyer.<\/p>\n I sued the Department of Homeland Security over their unlawful actions, and after months of litigation, they released him to me at the Laredo border and I brought him back home to Austin. <\/p>\n We will continue to pursue compensation for damages. https:\/\/t.co\/QCudykP8SO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch (@AttorneyKLG) September 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n “Let me be clear. This has been a traumatic experience for Brian. He was detained for several days, and he was kept outside of the country, where he has not been able to work and support his family over these last four months,” Lincoln-Goldfinch said during a Monday news conference. “This case is important for Brian and his own life, but this case is very important for this country, because there is no law in the U.S. that says a U.S. citizen, when they leave their house, has to have proof of their citizenship.”<\/p>\n “Our message to DHS is clear: you may not deport U.S. citizens for free,” she added. “There are consequences to actions like that.”<\/p>\n The American-Statesman reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICE, DHS and the Justice Department for further comment but did not immediately hear back Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Lincoln-Goldfinch said the legal team provided hospital records, witness statements, a handwriting expert’s analysis, baptismal records and statements from family members who said Morales\u00a0Garc\u00eda was born in the U.S. The additional evidence “tipped the scales” for Justice Department attorneys who agreed to allow Morales Garc\u00eda to return, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n