Two-year-old American girl deported to Honduras: Judge investigates possible illegal deportation case
A minor born in Louisiana has reportedly been deported without legal protections, along with her mother and daughter, amid restrictive immigration policies promoted by the Trump administration.
A two-year-old U.S. citizen, identified as VML, may have been illegally deported to Honduras without due process, according to a recent ruling by a federal judge in the United States. The incident occurred during a routine appointment at an immigration office in New Orleans, where the minor was detained along with her mother and older sister.
Judge Terry Doughty, who is leading the review of the case, stated that he had "strong suspicions" that the deportation occurred "without any meaningful process," which would directly violate the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens. The situation has raised alarms about the handling of family deportations during Donald Trump's new presidential term.
Case details and legal actions
The minor was deported on April 22 along with her mother and sister, according to court documents. The government maintains that it was the mother's decision to take her daughters; however, the judge questions the legality of that action given that VML is a U.S. citizen by birth. An attempt to contact the mother from the court was unsuccessful, as the government reported that the family was already in Honduras.
The immigration status of the mother, father, and sister remains unconfirmed. The father had legally requested custody of the minor with a U.S. aunt, but, according to a family attorney, an ICE agent refused to consider the request and warned that the father would also be detained if he tried to recover his daughter.
Thousands of people are being deported from the United States due to the new immigration policies imposed by Trump. Photo: Fortune
Similar cases and criticism of immigration policies
This case is not isolated. In Florida, a Cuban woman was deported with her infant daughter, who has health problems, just two days after an immigration appointment, despite being married to a U.S. citizen. The family's attorney argued that the deportation ignored basic humanitarian considerations.
Since Donald Trump returned to power on January 20, thousands of undocumented immigrants have been detained under new, stricter immigration guidelines. Some of these actions have been legally challenged, as in the case of Salvadoran Kilmar Ábrego García, who was mistakenly deported and ordered to return by the Supreme Court, although the administration refuses to allow him to reside in the country again.