NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – A Fox Valley man says he was stunned when he received an early morning email from the Department of Homeland Security, telling him his “parole” had been terminated and he needed to leave the United States.
But Tom Frantz is a natural-born American citizen.
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“I was born in the United States. I’m a legal citizen,” Frantz mentioned. “I’ve never been charged with a crime, much less put on parole.”
Frantz, who lives in Neenah, says he initially thought the message was spam until he discovered others, including an immigration attorney in Massachusetts, had received the same email. That’s when he knew something wasn’t right.
The email, sent by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), appeared to suggest that Frantz’s U.S. citizenship was in question and threatened consequences if he didn’t leave the country.
“The letter, the tone of the letter was… intimidating, and alarming,” he said. “There were no instructions on what to do if you received it by mistake. Just threats if you didn’t comply.”
Frantz contacted U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office. Her staff reached out to DHS for answers.
According to Baldwin’s office, DHS later confirmed the message was part of a broader error. The email was sent to addresses connected to the CBP One App — an online platform used by people seeking humanitarian parole, asylum, or support through immigration attorneys, NGOs, or financial sponsors.
Frantz says he has never used the CBP One App and doesn’t fit any of the categories listed. DHS told the senator’s office the email was mistakenly distributed to all associated email addresses in the app’s database.
Senator Baldwin called the situation “completely illegal,” adding in a statement sent to Local 5:
“President Trump is trying to deport an American-born, law-abiding citizen and has provided absolutely no justification. The President cannot kick Americans out of the country just because he wants — no one is above the law, including the President.”
Frantz says DHS apologized for the mistake through Baldwin’s office, but he worries about what could’ve happened if he hadn’t acted quickly, or if someone else received the same letter and didn’t know where to turn.
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“One mistake can lead to two, can lead to three… and where does that put me further down the line?” he said. “It can happen to anybody.”
Frantz says his situation appears to be resolved for now, but he hopes others who may have received a similar message take it seriously and seek help immediately.
