US-born children with cancer to be deported with undocumented parents, sparks concerns

The deportation of three US-born children, including a two-year-old and a four-year-old with stage-4 cancer, has raised concerns over due process and immigration policies. The incident occurred on Friday when the children, born in the US, were deported alongside their undocumented mothers to Honduras, as reported by TOI.

US authorities stated that the mothers, who were facing deportation, chose to take their children with them. However, a federal judge, appointed by former President Donald Trump, expressed doubts about the legality of the deportation process. Judge Terry Doughty described the action as "illegal and unconstitutional" and pointed out that there was no meaningful process involved in the children’s deportation.

According to the report by TOI, the two mothers, who had been participating in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) in New Orleans, were detained during a routine check-in. Under ISAP, individuals facing immigration proceedings are allowed to stay in their communities. Lawyers for the families stated that one of the mothers, Jenny Carolina Lopez Villela, had been forced to make a quick decision, despite her husband trying to remind her that their younger daughter, a US citizen, was not subject to deportation. The father’s attempt to connect with the family’s lawyers was interrupted when he was cut off during the call.

In the second case, a four-year-old child suffering from stage-4 cancer was deported without her necessary medication or a way to contact her doctors. This deportation follows a similar incident in February, when a ten-year-old US citizen with brain cancer was also deported under the Trump administration, sparking further criticism of the policies in place.

The Trump administration maintains that it does not deport US citizens but allows the deportation of minor children if their parents, who are being deported, request their children to accompany them. In both cases, the administration argues that the parents made the choice to bring their children along, as part of a policy to avoid family separation.

However, civil rights advocates and legal experts have expressed concern that the deportations bypassed due process. In the case of the New Orleans deportations, Judge Doughty emphasized that there was no clear evidence that the mothers had fully consented to their children’s deportation. He criticized the fact that the families were not allowed to fully communicate with legal representatives before being put on a flight to Honduras.

The deportations have contributed to growing unease over the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies, which have extended to not only undocumented immigrants but also legal visa holders, green card holders, and international students. In some instances, plainclothes Homeland Security agents have arrested immigrants without serving warrants, a practice that has raised concerns among civil liberties groups.

These actions are part of a broader crackdown on immigration under the Trump administration, which has included reversing Biden-era policies that restricted arrests in sensitive locations, such as hospitals, and invoking the Alien Enemies Act to expedite removals.

The incident has reignited debates over the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement, with critics calling for more oversight and protection of due process rights for all individuals, regardless of their immigration status.

(With inputs from TOI)