ICE Pushing to Deport 12-Year-Old US Citizen, Lawyer Says – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
Anchorage, Alaska – Federal immigration authorities have placed a 12-year-old boy in removal proceedings, even as his legal team presented substantial documentation asserting his U.S. citizenship derived from his father, a naturalized Navy veteran.[1][2] The case, which escalated after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied the boy’s application for a certificate of citizenship, underscores tensions in verifying parent-child relationships for children born abroad. The father’s repeated refusal to submit to a DNA test has left the child vulnerable to deportation, despite other forms of evidence.[3]
A Complicated Path to the U.S.
The boy, born in December 2013 in Turkey to a Nigerian mother, entered the United States alongside her on a visitor visa.[2] The mother later settled in Anchorage and filed for asylum, a case that remains pending. She and the boy’s father, Bolanle Meshach Akinleye, a 46-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Nigeria, had maintained a long-term romantic relationship during his time on active duty in the Navy. Although they did not marry, Akinleye acknowledged paternity through actions such as in-person visits and annual birthday calls to the boy.
The family overstayed the visa, prompting Immigration and Customs Enforcement to initiate deportation proceedings. In May 2024, before heightened enforcement under the current administration, the boy’s attorneys filed Form N-600 for a Certificate of Citizenship. This form sought formal recognition that the boy acquired citizenship at birth through his father, who met the required physical presence in the U.S. prior to the birth.[1]
Evidence Piles Up, But Skepticism Persists
Over 18 months, the legal team submitted a range of documents to USCIS. These included Akinleye’s notarized affidavit swearing under oath to his paternity and commitment to financial support, his DD-214 discharge papers from the Navy, his own Certificate of Citizenship, and naval service records.[2] Birth records from Turkey and Nigeria accompanied the package, along with a DNA test linking the boy to Akinleye’s brother, establishing a close familial tie. The father’s military background added weight, as the Navy retains a DNA swab from him, though USCIS has not pursued its release.
USCIS Director Bear Dolbeare, in a late December 2025 denial letter, acknowledged Akinleye’s citizenship status and U.S. residency requirements but deemed the biological relationship evidence insufficiently “clear and convincing.”[2] Officials noted discrepancies in names on records and the late registration of the Turkish birth certificate, which occurred shortly after a USCIS notice of intent to deny. Dolbeare highlighted the father’s refusal to test as undermining his affidavit: “His refusal to submit to the testing challenges the reliability of his previous written acknowledgment.”[2]
Father’s Evasions Complicate the Case
Akinleye, now a federal government employee living in Washington, D.C., has dodged multiple court orders for paternity testing. Courts in Alaska and D.C. issued mandates in early February, March, and as recently as late January 2026, but he evaded process servers, including fleeing one encounter.[2] His attorney, Margaret Stock of Cascadia Cross Border Law Group, emphasized that family members recognize the relationship and that a simple swab could resolve the matter. “It takes five minutes to give a DNA test, and you’d save your son from being deported,” she stated.[2]
Stock argued that USCIS policy allows various proofs beyond DNA and criticized the agency’s stance. “DHS agencies should not be trying to deport a U.S. citizen child and denying him proof of his U.S. citizenship because his father is defying court orders to provide DNA,” she told reporters.[1] A USCIS spokesperson countered that applicants bear the burden of proof, adding that those unlawfully present should expect removal referrals.[2] The boy’s deportation hearing looms in early 2027.
Ripples in Immigration Enforcement
This case emerges amid a surge in removals, with over 675,000 proceedings initiated since January 2025, according to Department of Homeland Security figures. In Alaska, ICE detainees jumped from 20 in 2023 to 101 in 2025, though most recent counts stand at 28 as of April 2026.[2] The boy, described as an A student excelling in math, science, track, and soccer, represents non-criminal cases caught in the net.
Advocates worry about precedents, especially with ongoing Supreme Court scrutiny of birthright citizenship rules. Stock warned that stringent DNA demands could ensnare more children if fathers withhold cooperation, turning immigration tools against families.[1] The mother’s asylum hinges partly on the outcome, as proving the boy’s status might bolster her claim.
As the hearing approaches, the standoff highlights gaps between sworn affidavits and biological verification in citizenship claims. Resolution may depend on whether USCIS requests the Navy’s DNA sample or if courts compel the father’s compliance, leaving the boy’s future in limbo amid policy pressures.
