A case of mistaken identity spurred on by the insistence of a teenager that she was a foreign-born woman caused a U.S. citizen to be mistakenly deported to Colombia. Immigration officials have no idea why the 15-year-old pretended to be an adult undocumented immigrant, but the incident further highlights that the United States' immigration policies are broken.

The teen had no connection to Colombia, but slipped through immigration enforcement cracks in two countries to be sent there. No one in the United States suspected that the girl might not actually need a green card because she was already a U.S. citizen.

The teen ran away from home in late 2010 and was arrested on a misdemeanor theft charge last spring. The girl apparently gave police a false name and background and claimed she was an illegal immigrant who was born in Colombia 22 years ago.

The sheriff's department turned her over to immigration officials. Immigration experts say federal officials were responsible for learning the teen's true citizenship status.

Immigration officials in both countries said they followed normal procedures. Police in the United States entered the fake name in a federal database and found nothing. A representative of the Colombian consulate interviewed the girl and cleared the way for her to come to her "homeland."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they had no reason to doubt the girl's statements. Critics of immigration enforcement procedures contend that the arguments are flimsy on both sides of the international incident.

The girl was given a Colombian passport and citizenship after her arrival there. The teen took advantage of an entry program that provided her with a place to live, counseling and a job in a call center.

Her relatives found her under a different name on Facebook, and her grandmother notified authorities. After officials found the girl in Bogota and verified her identity, the 15-year-old was flown back to the United States, where she was greeted by family and law enforcement officials.

Source: Associated Press, "Texas teen mistakenly deported reunites with mom," Jan. 6, 2012