12-year-old boy faces US deportation as father refuses to take DNA test to prove citizenship

A 12-year-old boy born to a Nigerian mother and a US military serviceman is facing deportation in US after authorities questioned his citizenship.The case unfolding in Alaska has drawn attention because US immigration officials are seeking a DNA test to confirm the boy’s link to his father, a naturalised US citizen who previously served in the military. His father has refused to take the test, the boy’s lawyer said.The child lives in Anchorage and could be deported alongside his mother. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has asked for genetic proof of paternity.“The child can’t establish he’s a citizen, and right now, the government’s trying to deport him,” Margaret Stock, an attorney with Cascadia Cross Border Law Group in Anchorage, Alaska, told Newsweek.They added: “He’s not in detention yet. They haven’t come and grabbed him and put him in a detention center, but they’ve got him in deportation proceedings. So, it’s really important for him to prove his citizenship in order to stop them from deporting him.”According to the legal team, the boy was born in Turkey to his Nigerian mother while his father, Bolanle Meshach Akinleye was serving in US military. The family later moved to US on a visitor visa.The attorney added that officials are continuing with deportation proceedings despite what she strong supporting evidence, including photographs, videos of birthday celebrations and other personal records showing a father-son relationship.Moreover, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said the boy and his mother were in the country illegally and had not proven citizenship claims.The spokesperson also suggested voluntary self-deportation options, saying, “Parents can take control of their departure with the CBP Home app and reserve the chance to come back the right legal way. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the US the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”This case comes as the US Supreme Court is reviewing challenges to birthright citizenship and a 2025 executive order that aims to limit it. If the court upholds stricter rules, more cases like this could follow, where people may need DNA tests to prove citizenship.The attorney added: “So, if Trump is successful at the US Supreme Court in overturning the 14th Amendment, we’re going to see a lot more cases like this. In fact, we’ll see hundreds of thousands of cases like this.”A court hearing in the boy’s case is scheduled for January 2027, while his mother’s asylum application remains pendin