A 10-year-old American child who had recently had a brain tumor removed was deported along with her undocumented parents while they were traveling to an emergency checkup.
While traveling to Houston from the Rio Grande valley to see a specialist in February, the parents and their four children, whose identity has not been revealed to protect the children from potentially being kidnapped in Mexico, were stopped at a checkpoint. Despite explaining the situation, which the officers "weren't interested in hearing," and providing paperwork from doctors and lawyers, the entire family was deported, according to NBC News.
Other than lacking "valid immigration status in the U.S.," the parents have "no criminal history," Danny Woodward, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, a legal advocacy and litigation organization representing the family, told NBC News.
The young girl has been attending routine checkups as she recovers from having her brain tumor removed in 2024. She has also been taking medication to prevent convulsions and undergoing rehabilitation therapies, both of which she has been unable to receive since her family was relocated to Mexico.
"It's a very difficult thing," the girl's mother told NBC News. "I don't wish anyone to go through this situation."
In addition to the parents and their daughter being deported, their 15-, 13-, 8-, and 6-year-old children were also detained despite four of them being born in the U.S. The family said they were separated by gender at the detention center, and the young girl was forced to lay on a cold floor before the family was dropped off in Mexico. They then spent a week in a shelter before finding permanent housing.
"The fear is horrible. I almost can't explain it, but it's something frustrating, very tough, something you wouldn't wish on anyone," the mother added.
The couple's 15-year-old son also lives with Long QT syndrome, a heart disorder that caused irregular heartbeats and can be life-threatening if not treated. Although the boy wears a monitor to track his heart rate, he, like his sister, has been unable to receive health care in Mexico.
"The authorities have my children's lives in their hands," the mother tearfully stated.
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