Carmen Figueroa, a 10-year veteran of DPS, was placed on paid administrative leave on Sept. 4 after the department learned that Figueroa may not have residency status, said Bart Graves, an agency spokesman.
An internal investigation by the DPS determined Figueroa “should be terminated for fraud, misrepresentation for securing employment, and incompetency,” Graves said.
Attempts to reach Figueroa on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Figueroa’s legal status came into question when her brother, who is in the Air Force, applied for a passport and was flagged by the State Department.
Officials believe the siblings were told by their mother that they had been born in the U.S. It wasn’t until the State Department investigation began that Figueroa learned she was actually born in Sinaloa, Mexico, and wasn’t a legal resident, Graves said.
