ICE refuses to release mentally ill US citizen who told immigration he was Jamaican and Lebanese royalty despite US documents
Immigration authorities insist he is Jamaican.
39-year-old Phillip James, who also goes by the name Felibi Siagha-Coke, has remained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for nearly 10 months after telling immigration officers he was not a U.S. citizen. However, records indicate that James has a history of serious mental illness, along with documentation supporting his U.S. citizenship.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that James is currently detained at the “Speedway Slammer” located at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana. His mother and lawyers are reportedly fighting his deportation to Jamaica, whose own officials say they have no records that suggest James was born in the Caribbean country or holds citizenship, according to court records.
The situation was reportedly triggered by an incident in 2024, when James filed several applications for U.S. citizenship and protections against deportation. In those filings, James claimed he was born in 1992 in Jamaica as the illegitimate son of a former Jamaican prime minister and a descendant of the Lebanese royal family, later acquiring citizenship when he was adopted by U.S. citizens as a child.
Documents say James is American
James’ mother and lawyers, however, argued that the 39-year-old was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a condition he’s had since childhood, per an affidavit from his mother. A psychologist reportedly evaluated James and concluded he was not a “reliable historian due to the serious nature of his mental illness,” adding that he had a “deeply entrenched delusional belief system,” the outlet reported.
Documents submitted by James’ team indicate that he was born in Orange County, Florida, in 1987, to a Jamaican national father and a U.S. citizen mother. In 2008, James was issued a U.S. passport under his birth name. He later requested a new passport when New York approved his name change in 2023.
Still, immigration revoked James’ passport and denied his citizenship application, heavily relying on the statements he’s made. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told AP that a “fraudulent birth certificate” was submitted when James’ original passport was issued. However, the DHS allegedly did not substantiate those claims.
Yet, AP’s findings conclude that information on James’ birth certificate matched the details in a 1988 court document on his paternity, including his birth date, parentage, and Florida residency. Records of James’ criminal history, which were cited by officials, also listed him as a U.S. citizen.
ICE insists James is Jamaican
Immigration officials initiated James’ removal proceedings in December 2025, believing he was in the country illegally following the rejection of his citizenship application. James was ultimately detained by ICE after a judge postponed the proceedings on Jan. 5.
ICE reportedly provided documentation that showed James applied for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) in Jamaica, although non-citizens are also eligible to apply. In April, an immigration judge ordered James to be deported to Jamaica, but an exact date for the removal wasn’t announced. Despite the government’s insistence that James’ U.S. documents are fraudulent, his mother and lawyers have petitioned the federal court for his release on Aug. 19 and appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
James’ case raises several questions about how the government handles citizenship claims, particularly when mental health issues may lead to statements that conflict with official documentation. But his situation is also just one of many involving U.S. citizens being detained by immigration authorities as the administration continues its deportation efforts against alleged illegal aliens.
“What’s going on in these cases is that evidence that’s consistent with deportation is treated as accurate and evidence that is inconsistent is treated as fraudulent,” Jacqueline Stevens, a professor who studied cases like James’, told AP. “This case is not a one-off. This is a feature, not a bug, of how ICE handles claims of U.S. citizenship.”
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