Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
6d ago

ICE Sued Over April Deportation of US Citizen Children, Including Young Cancer Patient

Attorneys assert that ICE secretly detained families during routine check-ins, denied them legal access, deported US citizen children without arranging their care.

Agents wait to detain migrants coming for their hearings at an immigration court in New York.
Image
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement seal is seen before a press conference discussing ongoing enforcement efforts to combat human smuggling along the Southwest border of the United States, July 22, 2014, at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C.. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/TNS/TNS)

Overview

  • The J.L.V. v. Acuna lawsuit, filed July 31 in the Middle District of Louisiana, alleges ICE unlawfully deported two families to Honduras on April 25, including four US citizen children.
  • It claims that Romeo, a Louisiana-born boy with stage 4 kidney cancer, and his 7-year-old sister were deported after covert detentions without counsel, interrupting critical cancer treatment.
  • The suit names senior DHS and ICE leaders, including Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE Director Todd Lyons and Attorney General Pam Bondi, and seeks the families’ return, custodial rights and unspecified damages.
  • DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin counters that parents were offered the choice to travel with their children or designate care arrangements, and asserts that medical needs are met abroad.
  • The case adds to legal challenges over accelerated immigration enforcement and could shape future oversight of ICE’s detention and removal practices.