ICE disputes claim that Maryland woman arrested in viral case is US citizen

SILVER SPRING, Md. - A Silver Spring attorney went viral on TikTok after claiming her client was taken into United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody despite being an American citizen born in Maryland.

What we know:

FOX 5’s Sydney Persing reports that attorneys for the woman say they have indisputable proof she is in the country legally. ICE strongly disputes that. The story has been viewed millions of times online and is likely to grow even larger on Monday, when her legal team is expected to release new information.

The woman at the center of the case is Dulce Consuelo Diaz. Her attorneys say she was arrested by ICE earlier this month. Diaz’s attorneys claim she was born in Maryland, lives here with her family and has multiple official documents confirming her citizenship, including, they say, a state‑issued birth certificate and immunization records.

Her lawyers say ICE has dismissed those documents as fake, a claim the legal team rejects.

What they're saying:

ICE told FOX 5 that Diaz is not a U.S. citizen and is in the country illegally from Mexico. A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released the following statement to FOX 5: 

"She is an illegal alien from Mexico. She did NOT provide a U.S. birth certificate or any evidence in support of her claim that she is a U.S. citizen. On December 14, 2025, ICE arrested Dulce Consuelo Madrigal Diaz, an illegal alien from Mexico, in Baltimore, Maryland. On October 20, *2023, when CBP encountered her near Lukeville, Arizona, Madrigal-Diaz claimed she was a citizen of Mexico and was born on October 18, 2003."

FOX 5 expects to hear more from Diaz’s attorneys Monday during a news conference.