A whole family was deported to Mexico while on their way to the hospital.
A 10-year-old girl fighting brain cancer was deported along with her family, despite needing continuous medical treatment in the United States.
The family, originally from Texas, was stopped at an immigration checkpoint last month while heading to Houston for the child’s appointment. Although they had made similar trips without issue in the past, this time, they were detained and sent to Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped the family as they were traveling from Rio Grande to Houston, where the young girl had been receiving care from her doctors.
The family’s lawyer, who has been helping them, confirmed that they had made the trip to Houston five times before for similar medical appointments without any problems.
In the past, when stopped at the checkpoint, the undocumented parents presented letters from their attorney and medical professionals. These had always been accepted, allowing them to proceed with their journey.
However, this time, border officials rejected the documents and arrested the parents, despite them having no criminal history.
The little girl was recovering from brain surgery after having a cancerous tumor removedTexas Civil Rights Project
At the time of their detention, the family’s car was carrying the 10-year-old girl along with four other children.
Of the five children, only one was not born in the United States, meaning the majority of them are U.S. citizens. When immigration officers presented the parents with a choice—to be deported alone or take their children with them—the couple chose the difficult path of keeping their family together and leaving for Mexico as a whole.
The alternative would have been for the children to be placed in the U.S. foster care system, a situation that would have made reunification much more complicated and uncertain.
The 10-year-old girl had been receiving treatment for brain cancer, having undergone surgery the previous year. Since the operation to remove the tumor, she had been attending follow-up appointments in Houston to monitor her recovery.
Her mother later shared with NBC News that when immigration authorities took them into custody, the family was split up.
She and her daughters were held in one area, while her husband and sons were taken to a separate location.
Eventually, border agents transferred them to a detention facility before escorting them across the border into Mexico.
The family were bundled into a vanTexas Civil Rights Project
Once in Mexico, the family was first placed in a shelter before being moved to a temporary home. However, their situation has left them fearful, as reports suggest that U.S. citizens in the area have been targets of kidnappings.
Compounding their hardship, the family’s 15-year-old son also requires medical attention. He suffers from Long QT syndrome, a heart condition that disrupts normal heart rhythms and can be life-threatening if not treated.
His condition requires specialized care and ongoing monitoring, but now that the family has been deported, accessing the necessary medical treatment has become nearly impossible.
The mother voiced her deep worry, telling NBC that without access to doctors in the U.S., the health of both her children is now at serious risk.
At the same time, former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies have faced widespread criticism for their harsh approach to deportations. His administration has consistently defended its position, asserting that the responsibility falls on undocumented parents.
In a previous interview with The Washington Post, Trump’s former border czar, Tom Homan, responded to concerns about mixed-status families facing deportation. He downplayed the issue, saying, “Here’s the problem. You knew you were in the country illegally and chose to have a child. So, you put your family in that situation.”