A federal judge, Terry Doughty, said there is “strong suspicion” that a two-year-old US citizen, identified as VML, was deported to Honduras alongside her mother and 11-year-old sister without receiving “meaningful process” — a potential violation of constitutional rights.
The family was apprehended during a routine immigration check-in in New Orleans on 22 April. Despite the child’s US citizenship, she was reportedly deported with her mother, and attempts to contact them afterward failed because they had already been released in Honduras.
Key Points:
- The US-born child’s deportation may be illegal under the Constitution, as US citizens cannot legally be deported.
- DHS claims the mother “chose” to bring her children with her.
- The father had attempted to legally transfer custody of the children to a US citizen relative, but ICE allegedly refused and threatened to detain him as well.
- A hearing is scheduled for 19 May to further investigate the situation.
Related Case:
- In Florida, a Cuban woman and her US citizen husband were detained during an immigration appointment; she and her one-year-old daughter (who has medical issues) were deported to Cuba two days later.
Wider Context:
- Since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January, there has been a significant escalation in immigration enforcement, leading to thousands of detentions.
- Trump’s immigration policies have faced legal challenges, including a high-profile case where the government wrongly deported Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man wrongly accused of gang ties. The Supreme Court ordered the government to help bring him back, though Trump officials maintain he will “never” return to live in the US.
