Two U.S. Citizen Children Deported Alongside Mother Amid Controversial Practices

Two U.S. citizen children and their mother were deported to Mexico. The family was detained near Dobie Middle School in Austin, Texas. Their attorney criticized the lack of due process, alleging past instances of U.S. citizen deportations under the current administration.

AUSTIN – In a shocking turn of events, two U.S. citizen children were deported to Mexico alongside their mother on Wednesday, as reported by their attorney. Cori Hash, a senior staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, stated that the family had been detained last week near Dobie Middle School in North Austin.

According to Hash, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers stopped the family on April 30, leading to the man’s detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The mother, although not taken into custody, was instructed to report to an ICE facility in San Antonio the following day. Hash expressed uncertainty about how many children were in the vehicle at the time.

The couple in question is not married, however, they have been together for several years and share three children aged 8, 5, and 4. Importantly, Hash confirmed that the two youngest children are U.S. citizens. The man was deported the day prior to the family’s removal, and the mother followed suit early Wednesday morning, as per Hash’s statements.

Hash requested that the identities of the individuals remain undisclosed to protect them from any further risks. She criticized the process, stating, “They had no due process whatsoever. It just goes to show that this administration feels that it can deport U.S. citizens whenever it wishes and however it wishes.”

While there was no immediate confirmation from officials regarding the citizenship status of the deported children, Carlos Enrique Gonzalez Echevarria, director of the Department of Protection at the Mexican Consulate in Austin, revealed that he had interviewed the father while he was detained. The father claimed that the two youngest children were born in the United States.

Sadly, this incident is not isolated. Previous accusations against President Trump’s administration involve the deportation of U.S. citizens amid what some describe as a large-scale deportation operation. Recently, the American Civil Liberties Union reported the deportation of three U.S. citizen children to Honduras, including a 4-year-old child battling cancer. Following these claims, DHS released a statement asserting that the mothers had chosen to deport with their children.

Hash noted that the deported family had relatives in the U.S. ready and willing to care for their children, but those relatives were barred from communicating with them during detention. Michelle Lapointe, legal director for the American Immigration Council, weighed in as well, expressing concern that ICE does not allow parents to make thoughtful arrangements for their children’s futures.

Lapointe remarked, “The result is that you’re essentially exiling a U.S. citizen to a country that they don’t necessarily know or have any connection to.”

Following the father’s detention, the mother reportedly traveled to San Antonio on May 2, where she was fitted with an ankle monitor. Hash states that she was later directed to an ICE facility in Pflugerville on the following Tuesday morning, where all three children were subsequently detained.

She recounted, “I was actually on the phone with her at the time when the ICE agents instructed her to come inside, and her three children were detained at that point.” Eventually, the family was deported to Reynosa, a Mexican city adjacent to McAllen, Texas.

This unsettling case raises continued concerns surrounding the deportation policies of the current administration, especially regarding U.S. citizen children. As families face separation and potential exile, the apparent lack of due process and options for children’s arrangements remains troubling. Advocates are calling for more transparency and better treatment of families caught in such situations, ensuring that no U.S. citizen child is sent to a country where they lack connections or familiarity.

Original Source: www.dallasnews.com