Phillip James, who has also used the names Felipe Bella De Campbell Coke and Felibi Siagha-Coke, is being held at the Miami Detention Center in Bunker Hill, Indiana. His lawyers are appealing an immigration judge’s order to deport him, and a federal judge is considering his petition for release.

James’ legal team says a Florida birth certificate and a 1988 court document establishing his paternity support his claim that he was born in Orange County in 1987 to a U.S. citizen mother and a Jamaican father. His mother has also attested to his birth in Florida. James received a U.S. passport in 2008 using the birth certificate and was issued another passport in 2023 after a court-approved name change.

The Department of Homeland Security says the birth certificate used for the first passport was fraudulent, but has not provided public evidence to support that assertion. The government revoked James’ passport and rejected his later citizenship application. Jamaican officials, meanwhile, have told his lawyers they found no record of his birth or citizenship there.

James has repeatedly said he was born in Jamaica, but medical experts who assessed him say he has paranoid schizophrenia and that his account is shaped by delusions. One psychologist concluded he could not be considered a reliable source about his personal history. James has also claimed ties to a former Jamaican prime minister and a royal family in Lebanon, without evidence.

His case began after he applied for citizenship and protection from deportation, making claims about his identity and birthplace that officials could not verify. ICE began removal proceedings in December 2025. An immigration judge postponed a hearing on Jan. 5, and agents arrested James after the hearing.

James initially represented himself, including in challenges to his detention. He is now represented by the Bronx Defenders, which filed a federal petition seeking his release on Aug. 19 and is appealing the deportation order to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The government argues his citizenship claim should be handled in immigration court. In a September court filing, an assistant U.S. attorney described James as a Jamaican native and Lebanese citizen who entered the country unlawfully.

James’ criminal record includes a 2011 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, for which he served five years in Florida prison. Records from that case identified him as a U.S. citizen.

The Indiana facility, nicknamed the “Speedway Slammer” by the White House, is a maximum-security prison that began housing as many as 1,000 ICE detainees through a state-federal arrangement. The facility has faced complaints about overcrowding and medical care, and at least two detainees have died. The agreement could bring Indiana $213 million over its first two years, with the state paid $291 per detainee per day. Gov. Mike Braun’s office declined to comment on James’ case.

Experts on immigration detention say cases involving citizens can arise when officials misidentify people or fail to verify citizenship. Jacqueline Stevens, a Northwestern University professor who has studied wrongful detention, said evidence supporting deportation can receive more weight than evidence pointing to citizenship. Former ICE chief of staff Deborah Fleischaker said the evidence of James’ citizenship appears strong, while cautioning that the case is complicated.

The federal judge, Damon Leichty, is expected to rule on James’ request for release. DHS has denied that ICE detains U.S. citizens and says people in removal proceedings receive due process. If Jamaica does not accept James as a citizen, experts say authorities could still seek to deport him to another country.