Overview
- A federal judge in Maryland issued an injunction preventing the removal of Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales while a habeas corpus case proceeds.
- Diaz Morales, 22, was detained in Baltimore and transferred to the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, according to her attorneys and ICE records.
- Her lawyers say they have a Maryland birth certificate, immunization records, affidavits, and hospital confirmation of records indicating U.S. birth.
- DHS contends she is not a U.S. citizen, cites a 2023 encounter near the Arizona–Mexico border where she reportedly identified as Mexican, and notes she has not provided valid proof of U.S. birth.
- The court ordered additional filings from Diaz Morales’s counsel by Monday and set a government response deadline for Jan. 5, as attorneys challenge her detention and report difficulties contacting her after the transfer.