Three children who are American citizens, including a four-year-old with cancer, have been deported along with their mothers, according to advocacy groups and lawyers representing their families.
New Orleans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are said to have deported the two mothers and three children - aged two, four, and seven - from Louisiana to Honduras, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement.
One of the children has stage 4 cancer and they were sent to Honduras without medication, a lawyer for the child’s family said. One of the mothers is also reportedly pregnant.
The two families had lived in the US for years but were ‘deported from the US under deeply troubling circumstances that raise serious due process concerns,’ the ACLU said.
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One family, including a two-year-old girl who was born in Louisiana, was apprehended during a routine appointment at a New Orleans immigration office on 22 April, according to court documents. A hearing for the case is scheduled for 19 May to assess if the family was given due process.
The second family was detained on 24 April, two days after the other family, when ICE refused to respond to requests from their attorneys and family members to contact them, the ACLU said.
During a news conference on Monday morning, Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, said the use of the word ‘deported’ to describe the situation was not accurate.
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"They weren't deported. We don't deport US citizens. Their parents made that decision, not the United States government," he said, per the BBC.
"Having a US citizen child does not make you immune from our laws," he added, sharing that the mothers were in the US illegally.
Thousands of undocumented immigrants have been detained during Trump’s first 100 days back in the White House, as Trump has vowed to overhaul the US immigration system as part of a crackdown.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday the Trump administration had been successful in its enforcement actions in its first 100 days.
Leavitt explained Trump would sign two new executive orders, including one that will direct officials to publish a list of places identified as ‘sanctuary cities’, a term that describes places that limit their assistance to authorities of federal immigration.
"It's quite simple", she said. "Obey the law, respect the law, and don't obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation's communities."
Tyla has reached out to the White House for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Parenting
Gregory Robinson