By James Kelley , Iowa Public Radio

Despite allegedly living in the U.S. for over 20 years, De La Cruz was charged with entering the country without inspection and not having valid documents of his identity.

De La Cruz was arrested in June after an officer found marijuana in the vehicle he was traveling in through rural Washington County. He was later transferred to ICE custody after the agency issued a detainer for his arrest when he would not answer questions about his citizenship status.

De La Cruz spent months in ICE detention in Washington County, Linn County and McCook, Neb. He’s now trekking from an unknown location on the Mexican side of the border to Mexico City, where he expects to meet his fiancé, Brianna Alberding, and his grandparents.

Alberding’s sister, Kayla, said s

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