Ice Sent 3 U.s. Citizen Children, Including Boy With Cancer, To Honduras With Their Deported Moms

Despite being American citizens, 3 children — a 4-year-old boy pinch Stage 4 kidney cancer, his 7-year-old sister and a 2-year-old woman — were swept up on pinch their families by migration authorities successful Louisiana and quickly sent to Honduras, according to a suit revenge connected behalf of nan families.

The suit alleges that contempt nan government’s ain directives, nan parents “were ne'er fixed a prime arsenic to whether their children should beryllium deported pinch them and were prohibited from contacting their counsel aliases having meaningful interaction pinch their families to put for nan attraction of their children.” The mothers, named successful nan suit arsenic Rosario and Julia, allege they wanted their children to stay successful nan U.S.

Instead, nan families were “illegally deported without moreover a semblance of owed process,” nan suit states.

Romeo, arsenic nan now 5-year-old is identified successful nan lawsuit, was diagnosed pinch a “rare and fierce shape of kidney cancer,” astatine property 2. He instantly began receiving ongoing “critical, life-saving aesculapian treatment” successful nan U.S., according to nan lawsuit, which was revenge by migrant defense group National Immigration Project and 3 rule firms.

“The nonaccomplishment to let his mother to put for his care, successful usurpation of ICE’s ain directive, and his unlawful deportation to Honduras interfered pinch his needed aesculapian treatment,” nan suit said.

The suit was revenge connected behalf of nan 2 mothers and their children successful nan U.S. District Court for nan Middle District of Louisiana connected July 31. The plaintiffs’ names successful nan suit are pseudonyms to protect their identities and safety, attorneys said. The lawsuit against nan national authorities is successful its early stages, and plaintiffs are seeking a assemblage proceedings and damages, and for their arrests and removals to beryllium recovered unlawful and to beryllium returned to nan United States.

“This is emblematic of what happens erstwhile nan management is laser-focused connected deportation, that erstwhile nan extremity consequence is each that matters, you are going to extremity up pinch wrongful and unlawful deportations,” Stephanie Alvarez-Jones, an lawyer pinch nan National Immigration Project, told NBC News.

The Department of Homeland Security said successful a connection that U.S. children were not being “deported” and denied that nan parents were not fixed a prime regarding nan attraction of their children earlier being sent to Honduras.

“Rather than abstracted their families, ICE asked nan mothers if they wanted to beryllium removed pinch their children aliases if they wanted ICE to spot nan children pinch personification safe nan genitor designates,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “The parents successful this lawsuit made nan determination to return their children pinch them backmost to Honduras.”

McLaughlin said that erstwhile location is “an underlying wellness issue, ICE makes judge that curen is disposable successful nan state to which nan forbidden alien is being removed. The accusation that ICE would contradict a kid nan aesculapian attraction they request is flatly FALSE, and it is an reproach to nan men and women of national rule enforcement.”

NBC News has antecedently reported connected U.S. national children being sent pinch their deported migrant parents to different countries, including a 10-year-old woman recovering from a uncommon encephalon tumor sent to Mexico.

Rosario and Julia and their children were put connected a level to Honduras connected April 25 aft being detained astatine migration check-in appointments wherever they were told to bring their U.S. national children and their passports, according to nan lawsuit.

Both women had settled successful nan U.S. immoderate years ago, nan suit states. Rosario came to nan U.S. successful 2013 arsenic a 13-year-old unaccompanied minor. She gave commencement to her first child, Ruby, successful 2018 successful New Orleans, and her 2nd child, Romeo, successful 2020.

In nan lawsuit, Rosario claims she didn’t cognize an migration lawsuit against her was playing retired while she was successful nan U.S. She said she only recovered retired she had a removal bid making love backmost 10 years aft she was taken into ICE custody during a postulation extremity successful February.

The mother of 2 was fixed an ankle show and had check-ins pinch ICE some astatine her location and astatine their section office, nan suit states.

On April 24, Rosario showed up astatine her migration check-in pinch her lawyer and children, on pinch their passports, per ICE’s instructions. At nan appointment, Rosario and her children were taken to a backmost room without their lawyer and told they would beryllium deported, according to nan lawsuit.

ICE allegedly asked Rosario to motion a archive without telling her what it was and Rosario refused. Agents allegedly dismissed her pleas to speak pinch her lawyer astir Romeo’s condition.

Her lawyer past learned that nan family had been transferred to a installation successful Alexandria, Louisiana, 3 hours away. The lawyer revenge a enactment of removal for Rosario’s family that included grounds of Romeo’s Stage 4 crab diagnosis.

The family was boarded connected a level nan adjacent day.

According to nan lawsuit, Rosario “explicitly opposed her U.S. national children’s deportation and had ne'er provided consent for specified action. Indeed, fixed Romeo’s crab and specialized aesculapian needs, Rosario wanted some of her U.S. national children to stay successful nan United States.”

Like Rosario, Julia was besides denied entree to an lawyer erstwhile she and her children were detained by ICE and deported, nan suit states.

Julia first arrived astatine nan U.S. separator successful 2019 fleeing Honduras, aft her girl Janelle was kidnapped there, according to nan specifications successful nan lawsuit. After applying for asylum, they were forced to hold successful Mexico astatine nan clip nether Trump’s “Remain successful Mexico” policy. They said successful nan suit they were kidnapped successful Mexico earlier they were capable to return to nan U.S. successful August 2021.

Her girl Jade was calved successful Louisiana successful 2023.

Julia was told successful February 2025 to statesman bringing some of her daughters to her regular ICE check-ins, nan suit states.

On April 22, Julia, who was now pregnant, attended a check-in pinch her daughters arsenic her partner waited outside. She said she was told her family was being transferred to Alexandria and that a judge would find their destiny successful nan U.S., according to nan lawsuit. Her partner alleges he was told his family was transferred hours later and he was not fixed clip to speak to Julia.

Later that night, Julia was told she would beryllium deported on pinch her children.

Her lawyer was allegedly told by ICE that Jacob, Julia’s partner and besides an immigrant, would beryllium detained arsenic good if he attempted to prime up his girl Jade, who is simply a U.S. citizen.

While Jacob and nan family lawyer fought to temporarily extremity nan removal of Julia and her children, an ICE serviceman allegedly told Julia to constitute connected a portion of insubstantial that her girl Jade would beryllium going pinch her to Honduras.

“When Julia objected, nan serviceman threatened Julia that Jade would beryllium instantly sent to a foster location successful nan United States if Julia did not constitute a statement stating that Jade would beryllium deported to Honduras pinch her,” nan suit states, adding that Julia did arsenic instructed nether duress.

“At nary constituent was Julia provided an opportunity to put for attraction of her U.S. national girl Jade successful nan United States.”

DHS said successful its connection to NBC News that it “takes its work to protect children earnestly and will proceed to activity pinch national rule enforcement to guarantee that children are safe and protected.” The agency said parents “can return power of their departure” by self-deporting.

Julia and her children were sent to Honduras connected April 25 connected nan aforesaid level arsenic Rosario’s family.

Rosario said successful a connection that successful Honduras she lacks nan resources to attraction for her children nan measurement they need.

“Since returning, my girl has gotten sick and struggled pinch anxiety, and I’ve been struggling pinch my ain wellness issues too,” she said.

Julia said successful a connection she thought she and her children were going to a regular appointment, but she was lied to. “I ne'er imagined they would nonstop maine and my children to Honduras,” she said.

“Returning to Honduras has meant leaving my hubby behind, and that’s been very hard,” she said. “We were deprived of nan opportunity to beryllium and make decisions arsenic a family.”