Who is Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez? The US-born citizen wrongfully detained by ICE

Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez is a 20-year-old US citizen, born in Grady County, Georgia, who has found himself at the center of a legal controversy after being wrongfully detained under Florida’s immigration law.

Despite holding a valid US birth certificate and Social Security card, Lopez-Gomez was arrested by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop, where he was a passenger.

He was charged with being an “unauthorised alien” under a controversial new state law, despite clear evidence of his citizenship.

The charge has since been dropped, but a 48-hour ICE detainer issued by Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa continues to keep him in Leon County Jail.

Lopez-Gomez speaks Tzotzil, a Mayan language, and has limited English proficiency.

He lived in Mexico from the age of one until four years ago, when he returned to Georgia.

During his court hearing, Judge LaShawn Riggans verified the authenticity of his birth certificate, stating it bore a watermark confirming it was a legitimate document.

However, she said the court could not release him due to ICE’s detainer request.

His mother, Sebastiana Gomez-Perez, broke down in court upon seeing her son appear virtually and expressed deep distress over being unable to help him.

Community advocates have voiced concern that Lopez-Gomez is the victim of racial profiling and misuse of immigration laws against a US-born citizen.

This is the second time Lopez-Gomez has faced legal trouble recently; he was previously detained in Georgia for a DUI but released when his citizenship was confirmed.

His case draws attention to Florida’s SB 4-C immigration law, currently blocked by a federal judge, and raises questions about its impact on US citizens with immigrant backgrounds.