‘First Dreamer Deported Under Trump’ Arrested For Re-Entering The U.S.

On Wednesday authorities placed Juan Manuel Montes, the 23-year-old undocumented immigrant who claims to be the first ‘Dreamer’ deported under the Trump administration, under custody for trying to return to the United States for the second time this year.

CBP agents arrested Montes late Monday night near Calexico, California, for illegally re-entering the country, the U.S. Border Patrol said in a statement. The United States denies having ever deported Montes and claim that he left the country on his own, causing him to lose his protected status under the DACA program.

The former Dreamer was spotted by CBP just north of the border fence and tried to outrun the agents two times. He was caught in the first 200 yards according to the Border Patrol report.

“Border Patrol Agents will always stop, detain, and arrest anyone making an illegal entry into the country irrespective of their immigration or citizenship status,” said the agency’s statement.

Montes lawyers tell another story about his arrest than the U.S. government. According to them, their client was “a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient to be deported under President Trump.”

The President announced he would be ending DACA in September, which gives 800,000 immigrants who were brought into the country as children work permits and protect them from deportation.

Montes claims he was wrongly expelled from the country on the night of February 18th. After dinner with a friend, Montes tells that he was detained by a U.S. agent in the border town of Calexico.

After hours of questioning and with Montes failing to produce identification, the dreamer alleges that he was forced into Mexico without any paperwork. That same night, Montes tried to return to the U.S. by jumping the border fence between Mexicali and Calexico, but was caught by CBP agents and deported back to Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security says that there are no records of Monte’s first alleged deportation. They insist that the dreamer crossed into Mexico voluntarily, losing his protected status.

According to Montes’ lawyers, he entered the country when he was only 9-years-old and suffers from a cognitive disability that stems from a childhood brain injury. He graduated High School in 2013 and qualified for DACA the following year.

After that, he pursued a welding degree at community college. Montes worked two years picking crops in California and Arizona.

Article inspired by CBS // First “Dreamer” known deported under Trump arrested re-entering U.S. again, authorities say