AP investigation: Documents support claim ICE has detained a mentally ill US citizen since January

For nearly a year, immigration authorities have detained and sought to deport a mentally ill man whose mother, lawyers and public records say was born in the United States and not Jamaica as he claims, a review by The Associated Press found.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no authority to detain U.S. citizens, but has long done so, usually for hours or days, when officers mistake identities or can't immediately verify citizenship. Immigration lawyers say a nearly 10-month improper detention would be rare but not unprecedented.