A man who claimed to have been living illegally in the UK for a decade presented himself to police on Monday and asked to be sent back to Iran.
The Greater Manchester Police tweeted about the "strange incident", saying that the man was "very angry".
The man was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace and on suspicion of an immigration offence given his initial statement.
However, checks made by immigration enforcement team revealed that the man was not residing in the UK illegally, and in fact had indefinite leave to stay in the country.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police told Huffington Post UK: "On the evening of Monday 21 September 2015, a man presented himself at the front desk of Manchester city centre police station at the Town Hall, declaring that he was an illegal immigrant and wanted to be sent back to Iran.
"The 25-year-old man was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace after shouting at staff and causing a disturbance at the counter. He was also arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence.
"The man was taken into police custody and an initial assessment was made of the man's welfare and vulnerability. Officers made checks with the immigration enforcement team, which revealed that the man had indefinite leave to stay in the country.
"As such, the man was then released from custody two hours later without charge."