American Citizen Reunites With Family After Illegal Border Crossing

A man who illegally crossed the border with Mexican nationals last week was later found to be an American citizen born in Chicago who spent most of his life in Mexico, the U.S. Border Patrol announced Monday.

On Oct. 30 Border Patrol agents took several people into custody for illegally crossing the border from Mexico and brought to the Imperial Beach station.

"The man carried no identification, and originally claimed to be a Mexican citizen," said Gerardo U. Gutierrez in a statement. "During routine processing, the man changed his story and claimed to be a United States citizen, taken to Mexico by his father at the age of two."

The man had been living with his grandmother in San Luis, Potosi, Mexico.

Agents investigated the man's claim to be an American citizen and were able to obtain a copy of the man's birth certificate from Cook County, IL, and contact his mother.

Once his story was corroborated, the man was released from custody and assisted with transportation to Wisconsin, where his mother now lives.