Duarnis Perez became an American citizen when he was 15, but he didn't find out until after he had been deported and then jailed for trying to get back into the country.
He was facing his second deportation hearing when he learned he was already a U.S. citizen. Still, federal prosecutors fought to keep him in custody.
Last week, a federal judge scolded prosecutors for the mistake.
"In effect, the government is arguing that an innocent man who was wrongly convicted should not be released from the custody of the United States," U.S. District Judge Lawrence Kahn wrote. He ruled that Perez never should have been deported.
The case has gotten the attention of immigration observers, who call it a striking example of the gaps in an overworked immigration system.
Overworked? Really, you think so? Talk about an understatement. This was a very costly and bone-headed blunder, folks.
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