Federal judge questions deportation of US‑born child without due process
Federal judge Terry Doughty, appointed by Donald Trump, raises concerns over the deportation of a two-year-old US citizen without proper due process. The child was detained along with her mother and sister by immigration officials in New Orleans.
Court documents revealed that the two-year-old was born in New Orleans. She was with her mother and sister at a meeting in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office when they were detained and marked for deportation.
During the hearing, representatives of the Trump administration claimed that the child's mother expressed a desire to take her daughter to Honduras. A handwritten note in Spanish, attributed to the mother by officials, confirmed her intention. However, Judge Doughty sought to verify this information.
Attempts to contact the mother of the two-year-old
Lawyers informed the court that the child's father tried to contact the mother, but officials at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office prevented a longer telephone conversation. He claimed that they were only allowed to speak for a minute, which made it impossible to make a decision regarding the child.
Judge Doughty attempted to contact the mother on Friday to confirm whether she indeed wanted to take the child to Honduras. However, as informed by Trump administration lawyers, the mother and the two-year-old had already been released in Honduras by the immigration office, making it impossible to contact them. The judge has scheduled a hearing for 16 May, at which he aims to clarify the entire situation.
