Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales' battle with the Department of Homeland Security has seemingly come to an end.
Diaz Morales received her passport on Monday, ending what her legal team, Sanabria & Associates, calls "harsh treatment of her these past six months."
On May 27, the Department of Homeland Security filed a request for dismissal before the Executive Office of Immigration Review in the removal proceedings against the Maryland-born 23-year-old.
However, Gunther Sanabria, president of Sanabria & Associates, believes this may not be the end of this wrestling match as the government closed this case without prejudice.
"It indicates they maintain the position that they can resume these proceedings against her [Dulce] at any time," says Sanabria.
According to Sanabria, the DHS would not agree on the matter of whether or not Diaz Morales was born in America.
The fact that Diaz Morales received her passport should be proof beyond any shadow of doubt that she is, in fact, a U.S. citizen in the eyes of her representatives.
"We, like many other advocacy groups and legal service providers, drastically fear the erosion of rights and safety under the current policy regime. To all those that fear and reject a “show your papers” society, Dulce and her ongoing saga should properly be seen as a shot across the bow. This case has loudly proven that you are only legal until the government says otherwise. We continue to advocate for due process for all immigrants and citizens alike," says Sanabria.
On December 14th, 2025, Diaz Morales was with her sister, Sirley Diaz as they were leaving a Taco Bell in Baltimore. As they were driving away, they were stopped ICE.
According to Sirley, they said that they were going to take Dulce because "she was older in age." Sirley went on to say the ICE agents never identified themselves.
Dulce would be detained in an ICE holding facility in Baltimore. WMAR reported she was transferred five times over the course of three weeks, to facilities in Baltimore, Louisiana, Texas, and, finally, New Jersey.
Two members of Sanabria and Associates helped to get Dulce home back early in January.
Sanabria & Associates says that Diaz Morales spent a lot of time in Mexico as a child.
She then had to leave Mexico because of a life-threatening emergency and returned to the U.S. without proper documentation.
There was a removal order given in absentia in January 2025, which attorneys believe may have been done in error.
Her legal team asserts, "even a removal order does not strip somebody of U.S. citizenship. So, even if she was incorrectly put into immigration proceedings, which she likely was put into proceedings, that does not make her any less of a citizen."
