A federal judge has revealed that the Trump administration has deported a 2-year-old girl, who is a U.S. citizen, “with no meaningful process.” The child has been deported to Honduras with her mother while the father is fighting to have them returned, U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty said, per Reuters.
“It is illegal and unconstitutional to deport, detain for deportation, or recommend deportation of a U.S. citizen,” Doughty said, according to Reuters.
The judge scheduled a hearing for May 19, saying it’s “in the interest of dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”
What happened with the 2-year-old U.S. citizen who was deported?
The child, who is identified as “V.M.L.” in court documents, was taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday. The girl’s Honduran-born mother, Jenny Carolina Lopez Villela, and her older sister were also apprehended when Villela went to an immigration check-in appointment in New Orleans.
According to Politico, the Trump administration officials said the mother told ICE officials that she wants to take the child, who was born in the U.S., with her to Honduras. While the administration’s filing included a handwritten Spanish note that was allegedly written by the mother, the judge said the information needs to be verified.
“The Government contends that this is all okay because the mother wishes that the child be deported with her,” Doughty wrote. “But the Court doesn’t know that.”
What are advocates doing to bring justice for the deported 2-year-old?
The family’s lawyers have filed an emergency petition in an effort to free the child from ICE custody. Attorneys said the petition is filed under Trish Mack, who is acting as the child’s custodian. Additionally, lawyers said ICE has denied the girl’s father from having a legitimate phone call with the child’s mother. According to the father, the pair were only allowed to speak for about a minute on Tuesday as the mother remains in ICE custody.