Photo credit: www.cbsnews.com
A federal judge has raised concerns over the potential deportation of a two-year-old U.S. citizen from Louisiana to Honduras, alongside her mother and sister, indicating that due process may not have been followed. This revelation comes from court documents obtained by CBS News.
In an order issued on Friday, Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana expressed a “strong suspicion” that the government deported a U.S. citizen without providing adequate legal procedures.
Following this, Doughty attempted to arrange a phone conversation with the girl’s mother, referred to as “V.M.L.” in legal documents. However, Justice Department representatives informed him that such a call was not feasible, as the mother and her child had already been released in Honduras.
Details regarding the immigration status of the girl’s parents and sister remain unclear. The child was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in January 2021, according to the filing.
According to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, the decision to take the child to Honduras was made by the parents, reflecting a common practice among families in similar situations where parents opt to remain with their children during deportation processes.
The situation escalated when a friend of the mother, Trish Mack, filed a petition on Thursday. The mother, her two daughters, and their father were reportedly detained during a “routine check-in” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New Orleans, a meeting the family had regularly attended for four years. The father had accompanied them to the appointment, as described in the petition.
After their detention, the mother and daughters were moved to an ICE field office in New Orleans. Upon arrival, the father was informed that the mother was under ICE custody and would contact him soon.
That same day, the family’s attorney reached out to ICE, informing them that the girl was a U.S. citizen by providing her birth certificate. Despite this, an ICE agent later notified the father that plans were in place to deport his partner and their children.
In a bid to stop the deportation, the father filed for a temporary transfer of legal custody on Tuesday, intending for his sister-in-law, a U.S. citizen living in Baton Rouge, to take care of the girls. However, when an ICE agent spoke with the family’s attorney on Wednesday, the agent refused to release the girl to her custodian, asserting that she was with her mother. The agent also mentioned that while the father could attempt to collect her, he too would face detention.
A hearing in this matter has been scheduled for May 16.
This case emerges against the backdrop of an intensified crackdown on illegal immigration under President Trump’s administration, which has resulted in numerous lawsuits and scrutiny over its adherence to federal laws. Criticism has also arisen concerning the recent deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly expelled to El Salvador despite being a Maryland resident. Although a Supreme Court ruling mandated his return to the U.S., President Trump has not yet contacted the Salvadoran president to facilitate this process.
Source
www.cbsnews.com