A U.S. citizen who spent a night in a Florida jail on suspicion of being an "unauthorized alien" has been freed.Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, 20, who was born in Grady County, Georgia, was held at the Leon County Jail, despite a judge being shown his birth certificate in court at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Newsweek has contacted ICE and the Florida Highway Patrol for comment via email.Why It MattersThe incident comes as President Donald Trump's administration faces legal scrutiny and criticism for mistakenly flying Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man, to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process. The White House accuses Garcia of being a member of the MS-13 gang, which his attorneys and family deny.Trump has pledged to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history as his administration looks to remove millions of undocumented immigrants. The White House has said anyone living in the country unlawfully is considered a "criminal" by the federal government. Since the beginning of Trump's second term, thousands of migrants have been arrested....What To KnowLopez-Gomez was detained Wednesday by the Florida Highway Patrol after crossing the state line to work at his construction job in Tallahassee. He resides in Cairo, Georgia, around 35 miles away, CNN reported.A trooper pulled over the vehicle Lopez-Gomez was traveling in after the driver was allegedly going at 78 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to the arrest report obtained by Florida Phoenix news outlet.Lopez-Gomez was detained under suspicion of violating a law recently signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that makes it illegal for undocumented immigrants over the age of 18 to "knowingly" enter Florida after avoiding inspection by immigration officers.DeSantis signed Senate Bill 4-C into law on February 14, but a judge blocked its enforcement on April 4.Lopez-Gomez appeared in court virtually before Leon County Judge LaShawn Riggans on Thursday. The judge was presented with a copy of his birth certificate and Social Security card to prove his U.S. citizenship, Florida Phoenix reported."In looking at it, and feeling it, and holding it up to the light, the court can clearly see the watermark to show that this is indeed an authentic document," Riggans said.The judge said there was no probable cause for the charge, but explained the court lacked jurisdiction to release Lopez-Gomez because ICE had requested he be detained for 48 hours."This court does not have any jurisdiction other than what I've already done," Riggans said.Lopez-Gomez was released Thursday evening, but still faces the same charge. He said he asked the arresting trooper why he had been detained if he was a U.S. citizen.The driver of the vehicle Lopez-Gomez was traveling in also appeared in court Thursday on a charge of driving without a license.What People Are SayingJuan Carlos Lopez-Gomez told Florida Phoenix upon his release. "I feel fine leaving that place. I felt bad in there. They didn't give us anything to eat all day yesterday."Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition who worked with Lopez-Gomez's family, posted on X, formerly Twitter: "He is free!! Thank you to everyone who shared, called and did anything to help secure his release."Attorney Alana Greer, director and co-founder of the Community Justice Project, told CNN: "It's a series of horrors. No one should have been arrested under this law, let alone a U.S. citizen. The judge, the prosecutor, the sheriff and the jail are basically all throwing their hands up and saying, 'ICE told us to hold him, so we're going to keep holding him,' even though no one disagrees with the fact that he's a citizen."What Happens NextLopez-Gomez is scheduled to appear in Leon County Court on May 6.