A Williston, N.D., photographer/mountaineer from Guatemala was detained in Montana by Border Protection officers who he said removed him from an Amtrak train in Malta on Monday afternoon even though he said he carried proof he is in the United States legally.

Ibrahim Cetindemir, 28, said he spent one night at the Border Patrol office in Malta and the next night at the Cascade County Detention Center before an Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) official let him go Wednesday.

A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Wednesday that Cetindemir was removed from the train for processing. He said an early review showed he was not eligible for DACA, but it was through "additional systems" that he was found to be eligible and then released.

'Your DACA means absolutely nothing to us'

Cetindemir, a professional photographer, seemed in good spirits in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon, despite the previous 48 hours. He is not a U.S. citizen.

“It was not a big deal,” he said. “I am a climber and used to be under stressful situations.”

However, it appeared to be a big deal to his friends on social media, who asked people to reach out and help him.

"My friends were so happy," he said of his release.

More:Montana women sue border patrol over racial profiling claims

Cetindemir said he was returning from a climbing trip to Denali National Park in Alaska and was heading back to North Dakota. He said officers had approached him when the train stopped in Havre, but let him continue. It was in Malta where more officers talked to him and escorted him off.

He said he gave them his driver’s license and work permit and they took him to the station. But when he said he was with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, more commonly known as DACA, he said he was told that didn’t matter and he would be deported.

“They said ‘Your DACA means absolutely nothing to us,’ which I was very surprised by that statement, Cetindemir said.

DACA, an American immigration policy, lets some people brought to the United States as children receive a renewable two-year period of deferred deportation and receive a work permit. He said his permit expired several years ago, but he got DACA status in 2016.

“As long as I stay out of trouble, the DACA should supersede the deportation order,” he said.

The Customs and Border Protection spokesman said the agency's records indicated that he was previously ordered to be removed from the country and not eligible for DACA relief. He said ICE/ERO checked more systems and “determined that Cetindemir was eligible for DACA status and was released from ... custody.”

Cetindemir said he does not believe racial profiling was involved. He said it is not unusual to be approached by officers during stops for trains and buses.

Cetindemir said he came to the United States 14 years ago with his mother and sister. He said the DACA program does not allow him to adjust his status and become a U.S. citizen, except through marriage.

“I work and pay taxes like any other citizen,” he said. “I pay my own health insurance.”

Cetindemir said his night at Cascade County Detention Center was his first jail experience, adding he was the third person in a cell made for two and slept on the floor near the toilet.

On Wednesday an ICE official told him he was free to go.

”He asked if I had a way to get home, and I said I would get a rental car,” Cetindemir said. The ICE official did not apologize, he said, but said he understood it was an inconvenience.

He said he was interested to see the reaction on the faces of the Border Patrol officers when he would stop at the Malta office to pick his stuff up.

"The guys at Border Patrol were convinced I was going to get deported," he said.

He said he has no plans to sue, but he would like Amtrak to reimburse him for his fare.

He said the incident has not soured him on Montana.

"I would like to do a trip to Glacier National Park in the next few months," Cetindemir said.

But as for his next adventure?

"I’m going to go back to my bed."

More:Defendant on immigration hold in Montana in federal custody

More:A pregnant mother of two detained by ICE is one step closer to deportation

Reporter Phil Drake is our eye on the state capitol. For tips, suggestions or comment, he can be reached at 406-231-9021 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com. To support his work, subscribe today and get a special offer.