A groundbreaking lawsuit has cast a stark spotlight on alleged abuses within the U.S. immigration system, accusing authorities of unlawfully abducting and deporting families, including a mother and her child battling a severe illness. This federal action alleges a severe breach of due process and humanitarian standards, raising urgent questions about deportation crisis practices under federal policies.
The complaint outlines disturbing accounts, beginning with Julia, a Louisiana resident, who attended a routine immigration check-in only to find herself and her two young daughters, including one US citizen, abruptly arrested and held in an undisclosed location. Her legal counsel was denied access, and despite her six-week pregnancy, she and her children were forcibly removed from the country just days later, deported to Honduras without proper legal recourse.
Even more harrowing is the case of Rosario, whose four-year-old son, Romeo, a US citizen, was undergoing critical treatment for stage four kidney cancer in New Orleans. Rosario, who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor and later adhered to an ISAP non-detention supervision program, was led to believe her scheduled reporting was routine, unaware of the impending, drastic measures.
On a fateful day in April, Rosario and her two US citizens children reported to the ISAP office as instructed. Her children’s passports were confiscated, and despite her attorney’s presence outside, they were denied entry. Inside a secluded room, Rosario was coerced into signing documents and stripped of her phone and wallet, then informed of their immediate illegal deportation to Honduras.
Following this sudden declaration, Rosario and her children were transported three hours to a hotel in Alexandria, Louisiana. Amidst intense distress, she was finally permitted a brief phone call, desperately reaching out to her father to alert him of their predicament and request contact with their lawyer. This brief attempt at communication was swiftly cut short by an officer, highlighting the isolation imposed upon the detainees.
The immigration lawsuit alleges that in the early hours of April 25, Rosario and her children were taken to a local airport and forced onto a plane bound for Honduras. Simultaneously, Rosario’s attorney received an email confirming the denial of a stay of removal, underscoring the swift and seemingly predetermined nature of their forced departure from the U.S.
These alleged abductions and illegal deportation actions have drawn widespread condemnation, sparking a significant debate over the ethics and legality of current border policies. The lawsuit underscores the vulnerability of individuals within the immigration system, particularly those with critical health needs or US citizen children, demanding accountability for such severe alleged infringements on fundamental rights.
The humanitarian crisis described in the lawsuit seeks to challenge these actions, emphasizing the severe emotional, physical, and financial toll on the affected families. It calls for judicial review of practices that appear to circumvent established legal procedures and highlights the ongoing need for rigorous adherence to due process for all individuals, irrespective of their immigration status, when in U.S. custody.
