The mum of a 10-year-old girl with brain cancer has spoken out after her family was deported to Mexico, as they travelled for an emergency medical check up.
Donald Trump has received backlash after announcing his lead on the 'largest deportation programme in history', during his second term.
When he was re-elected as president in 2024, the Republican leader promised to deliver an end to birthright citizenship.
And the real life effects of this are already beginning to unravel, as one family were deported as they attempted to cross the border between Texas and Houston.
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The family were on their way to an emergency medical checkup for their daughter, who is suffering with brain cancer, having travelled from Rio Grande, Texas, to Houston, where her specialist team were based.
The little girl is a US citizen, but her parents were instantly arrested at the immigration checkpoint by Customs and Border Protection, after they were unable to provide legal immigration documentation, despite the mother attempting to explain their unique circumstances.
Four other children, whose identities are being protected - all but one born in the US - were in the car with the parents when they were detained by authorities.
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The parents were then forced during the unimaginable moment to make a difficult decision to either return to Mexico as a family, or leave their children behind in the US, which they ultimately didn't choose to do and, after spending the night in a federal processing facility, were walked across the US-Mexico border by authorities, as per CNN.
The couple's oldest child - a US citizen - was not with them at the time and remains in the US.
The parents have been given the pseudonyms 'Juan' and 'Maria', and the mum has since spoken out about the horrific ordeal.
During an interview with NBC, she said: "Help us return so that our little girl can continue receiving the medical care she needs.
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"She does not deserve to suffer this way. Cancer has brought her enough suffering.
"The authorities have my children’s lives in their hands.
"The fear is horrible. I almost can’t explain it, but it’s something frustrating, very tough, something you wouldn’t wish on anyone."
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It is also now known that the family's 15-year-old son also has a potentially life-threatening heart condition, for which he is not being treated in Mexico.
Despite Trump declaring he was going to target criminals first as part of his plan, this family, with no criminal convictions, have been deported as a result.
The 10-year-old was diagnosed with brain cancer just last year and had surgery to remove the tumour, but was receiving crucial treatment in the US to keep her stable.
Mia Williams