A federal judge in Louisiana has raised concerns over the deportation of a 2-year-old U.S. citizen who was sent to Honduras alongside her mother, who was facing removal. The judge, Terry Doughty, stated that the child may have been deported without adequate due process.
In a ruling issued on Friday, Doughty noted that the government claims the deportation was permissible because the mother expressed a desire for her daughter to accompany her. However, the judge questioned the validity of this assertion.
During a court call at 12:19 p.m., officials learned that the mother and child were already airborne, and by 1:06 p.m., they were confirmed to be in Honduras. Doughty scheduled a hearing for May 16 to address concerns that the government may have unlawfully deported a U.S. citizen without proper procedures.
Doughty, who was appointed by President Trump in 2017, emphasized the need for clarity on the situation. The mother and her two daughters were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans while attending a scheduled meeting. The family had been participating in an “Intensive Supervision Appearance Program” after the mother was released from ICE detention in 2021.
The father of the U.S. citizen, referred to as VML in court documents, has sought custody of his daughter, requesting that she be placed with a suitable guardian in the U.S. VML was born in Baton Rouge on January 4, 2023, while her older sister is 11 years old and was born in Honduras.
Attorneys opposing the deportation argued that the removal of VML infringes upon her constitutional rights as a U.S. citizen. Meanwhile, government lawyers maintained that the mother has legal custody and had indicated her intention to take her daughter to Honduras in a handwritten letter dated Thursday, while they were in ICE custody.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not yet responded to inquiries regarding the case..