US Citizen Wrongly Receives DHS Deportation Notice
Department of Homeland Security mistakenly sends removal notices to citizens
A Connecticut woman who is a U.S. citizen by birth recently received an alarming email from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) instructing her to leave the country. Lisa Anderson, a physician from Cromwell who was born in Pennsylvania, was shocked to receive the official notice stating, "It is time for you to leave the United States." After verifying the email's authenticity, Anderson realized this was not spam but an actual government communication erroneously sent to her.
This incident is not isolated, as two Boston immigration attorneys, who are also U.S. citizens, reported receiving identical deportation notices from DHS. A senior DHS official acknowledged the error, explaining that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been sending these notices to individuals without lawful immigration status. The official stated that if non-personal email addresses were provided by non-citizens, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients, and CBP would address issues on a case-by-case basis.
KEY POINTS
- •US citizen ordered to leave country
- •DHS admits sending notices in error
- •Multiple citizens affected by mistake
The mistaken notices have created significant concern for the recipients. Anderson now carries her passport based on legal advice and is seeking representation from an immigration attorney—a service she never anticipated needing as a natural-born citizen. She expressed worry about potential legal repercussions and is attempting to connect with the Boston attorneys who experienced similar situations to compare their experiences.
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