Deportation of 4-year-old and 7-year-old American citizens

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A 7-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother, who has stage 4 cancer, were deported from the United States to Honduras with their mother, despite both children being American citizens, on April 25, 2025. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Overview

On April 24, 2025, the children travelled with their mother, as well as their lawyer, to a routine check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Saint Rose, Louisiana. [4] [5] The three of them were detained before they could speak with their lawyer, and were then deported to Honduras the next day. [5] The children's mother was not permitted to speak with an attorney or family members prior to their deportation, despite trying to do so. [6] [7]

According to an attorney for the family, the children's mother was told the check with ICE was to photocopy the children's passports; as such they wore their school uniforms as they expected to return to school once the appointment was over. [8] The attorney went on to say that she was not permitted to see the two children or their mother, and was informed they had been detained, stating "I want to be clear — they sequestered her from me." [8]

As such, the 4-year-old, who has stage 4 cancer, did have his cancer medication with him, and was not permitted to access it. [9] [7] [6] ICE was aware of the 4-year-old's cancer diagnosis and that he was undergoing treatment prior to his deportation. [7]

Attorneys for both the mother and the children insisted that the children were, in fact, deported illegally. The attorneys provided evidence that demonstrated that their mother, "their families and their attorneys had little to no chance to make arrangements for their children." [6] [9]

4-year-old and 7-year-old's mother

The mother of the 4-year-old and 7-year-old United States citizens crossed in to the United States at the age of 13 and claimed asylum at the border. She was ordered to be deported because she missed an appointment with immigration officials. According to her attorney, she never received notice of the appointment. [10]

Reactions

Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's so-called border-czar, insinuated that the children are anchor babies, commenting that "Having a U.S. citizen child after you enter this country illegally is not a get-out-of-jail free card." [5] Homan — when speaking about these children as well as the deportation of VML — insisted that the children's mother requested their children be removed from the country, and said it was preferable to keep the families together. [6] [11]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "the children weren’t deported but 'went with their mothers,' adding that as citizens they could come back if there's someone in the United States who 'wants to assume them.'" [6] [7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "U.S. citizen children, including 4-year-old with cancer, taken to Honduras on mother's deportation flight, legal advocates say". NBC News. April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Three U.S. citizens, ages 2, 4 and 7, swiftly deported from Louisiana". The Washington Post. April 26, 2025. Archived from the original on April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  3. ↑ "US: ICE deports 3 American children, say lawyers". Yahoo News. April 27, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  4. ↑ Andone, Dakin (April 27, 2025). "3 children who are US citizens — including one with cancer — deported with their mothers to Honduras, lawyers and advocacy groups say". CNN. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Medina, Eduardo (April 27, 2025). "Two Children With U.S. Citizenship Deported to Honduras With Mother, Lawyer Says". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Attorneys dispute Trump officials' claim that deported moms willingly took their U.S. citizen children". NBC News. April 29, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Trump Lied About Deportation of 4-Year-Old U.S. Citizen, Lawyers Say". The New Republic. ISSN   0028-6583 . Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Lawyers Say Trump's Admin Is Endangering Moms of Deported American Kids". Yahoo News. April 30, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Singh, Maanvi (April 28, 2025). "Mothers deported by Trump 'denied' chance to transfer custody of children, lawyer says". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Trump's deportation campaign is capitalizing on a key hallmark: Speed". NBC News. May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Three US citizen children, one with cancer, deported to Honduras, lawyers say". BBC News. April 28, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
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