see also: in February 2008:   Marijuana Seized by CBP Officers at San Luis, Ariz. Port   Border Patrol in Tucson Seizes 4 Tons of Marijuana   CBP Officers in Philadelphia Discover Venomous 8-Legged Stowaway   Arizona Event to Assist Border Patrol Applicants   Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Announce International Initiative Against Traffickers in Counterfeit Network Hardware   Border Patrol Apprehends 62 Illegal Migrants Hiding in Arizona House   CBP Officers in Calif. Find Smuggled Women in Truck Engine Compartment ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Lewiston, NY – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the arrest of a citizen of Mexico for making a false claim of U.S. citizenship.

Yesterday, CBP officers encountered a female claiming to be Melisa Cedeno (DOB: 10/08/1978) as she applied for admission into the United States as a passenger in a vehicle at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing in Lewiston, N.Y. Cedeno presented a New York State driver’s license for identification, and advised the CBP officer at the primary processing booth that she was a U.S. citizen. Cedeno further claimed that she was returning to her residence in Richmond Hill, N.Y. after vacationing in Canada. Because of her evasive behavior and having no proof of citizenship, Cedeno was referred for a CBP secondary inspection.

During the course of the inspection, Cedeno advised CBP officers that although she was born in Mexico, she was now a U.S. citizen. However, Cedeno could not explain how she obtained her U.S. citizenship. At that point, Cedeno recanted and claimed the she was a citizen of Mexico, but had lawful U.S. permanent resident status. She was asked to produce her permanent resident card, but could not. During the interview, CBP officers conducted an inspection of the vehicle, which resulted in the discovery of a Mexican passport in the name of Jackelinne Cano Guevara (DOB: 02/18/1985). CBP officers determined that the picture in the passport matched the person claiming to be Cedeno.

When confronted with the evidence found in the vehicle, Guevara admitted that she was not a U.S. citizen, but in actuality a citizen of Mexico, and that she was trying to enter the United States to visit her boyfriend in New York City. Record checks revealed that Guevara was denied a U.S. visitor visa at a U.S. Consulate in Mexico in September 2007. She also admitted that she had acquired the New York State driver’s license from a friend and was attempting to use it as proof of U.S. citizenship to obtain admission to the United States. As Guevara had no legal documentation to enter or remain in the United States and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen, she was arrested by CBP officers and charged with attempting to illegally enter the United States by misrepresentation or concealment of facts. Guevara will be prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

"As of January 31, 2008, oral claims to citizenship are no longer accepted, and travelers now have to present documentary proof of their citizenship," stated James T. Engleman, CBP Director of Field Operations for the Buffalo Field Office. "This case is an excellent example of the importance of this change in policy."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.