Immigration rights lawyer Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council amplified a report this week about a U.S. citizen in Minnesota who was recently detained by ICE agents allegedly for “looking Somali.” According to the U.S. citizen, he repeatedly begged the agents to look at his digital passport ID but they refused.
Reichlin-Melnick wrote on social media: “WOW. Mr. Mubashir told local news that DHS officers outright *refused* to check his REAL ID to verify his legal status, and instead handcuffed him and dragged him down to the local ICE processing office so they could fingerprint him and run him through their systems instead.”
WOW. Mr. Mubashir told local news that DHS officers outright *refused* to check his REAL ID to verify his legal status, and instead handcuffed him and dragged him down to the local ICE processing office so they could fingerprint him and run him through their systems instead. https://t.co/Z37AnfNXaq pic.twitter.com/f44JEPTy7r
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) December 11, 2025
Cato Institute director of immigration studies David J. Bier replied to Reichlin-Melnick, “Citizenship used to mean something.”
One must carry immigration documents as per the INA. A Real ID is not an immigration document.
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) December 12, 2025
Border Patrol agent Gregory Bovino, who was given the title “Commander-at-large” by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and was recently admonished by a judge and ordered to report on the Border Patrol’s use of force and tear gas in Chicago, replied to Bier: “One must carry immigration documents as per the INA. A Real ID is not an immigration document.”
Bovino is getting slammed in the comments for his false claim, as U.S. citizens are not required to carry documents to prove citizenship. More than one immigration lawyer noted the error in Bovino’s defense, including Charles Kuck, who replied “Hard to be this bold about being wrong. Congrats.”
Former Republican Congressman Justin Amash (R-MI) also replied: “U.S. citizens are not required to carry immigration documents. It’s hard to know which is greater here: the level of corruption or incompetence.”