Mothers Deported by ICE Without Due Process, Lawyers Say \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Lawyers report ICE deported several immigrant mothers along with U.S. citizen children, sparking outrage. Advocacy groups accuse ICE of abusing power by rushing deportations without fair hearings. Federal courts are now questioning the legality of the actions under Trump-era immigration policies.
Quick Looks
- ICE deported immigrant mothers and their young U.S. citizen children without due process.
- Lawyers say deportations happened after routine check-ins, leaving no time for legal action.
- ACLU and allied groups call it a “shocking abuse of power.”
- A judge questioned the deportation of a 2-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras.
- The mother of a 1-year-old in Florida was deported to Cuba while still breastfeeding.
- ICE allegedly ignored last-minute legal filings to stop deportations.
- Critics blame deportation quotas for rushed and inhumane removals.
- Cases highlight growing legal challenges to Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
Deep Look
In a wave of deportations that has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights advocates and federal judges alike, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents recently deported several immigrant mothers — some with U.S. citizen children — in a manner that legal experts call rushed, unjust, and possibly illegal.
Among the cases that have emerged: a Cuban-born woman was separated from her 1-year-old daughter and U.S. citizen husband in Florida, while three Honduran-born mothers were deported along with their 2-, 4-, and 7-year-old U.S.-born children. The cases, attorneys say, demonstrate an alarming pattern of ICE removing immigrants without providing a fair chance to contest deportation or arrange for their children’s welfare.
Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Immigration Project, and other advocacy organizations issued a joint statement condemning the deportations as a “shocking — although increasingly common — abuse of power.” They argue that ICE denied families the opportunity for legal consultation or court review, violating basic principles of due process.
Arrested at Routine Check-Ins, Deported in Days
In each case, the mothers had attended regular ICE check-ins — a standard part of compliance for immigrants with pending or old deportation orders. Instead of routine processing, they were arrested on the spot, reportedly given no significant opportunity to speak with lawyers or family members, and deported within 72 hours.
One particularly troubling case involved a 4-year-old girl suffering from a rare form of cancer and her 7-year-old sibling, both deported to Honduras with their mother within a single day of detention, according to Gracie Willis of the National Immigration Project.
In another, a pregnant mother was deported along with her 2-year-old U.S. citizen daughter and an 11-year-old Honduran-born child. The deportation of the 2-year-old has raised alarm bells in federal court.
Federal Judge Raises Serious Concerns
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana openly questioned the government’s handling of the 2-year-old’s case, expressing “strong suspicion” that ICE had removed a U.S. citizen child without due process. In a rare move, Doughty scheduled a May 16 hearing specifically to investigate the deportation, stating that the actions may have violated constitutional protections.
In filings, lawyers representing the child’s father — a resident of Baton Rouge — said he had legally delegated custody of his daughters to a U.S. citizen relative. They argued he wanted his daughter to stay in the United States, while ICE claimed the mother had consented to her deportation. Judge Doughty noted that none of these claims had been meaningfully vetted before the deportation occurred.
The urgency was highlighted Friday when Doughty tried to have government attorneys arrange a call with the mother mid-flight — only to be told that she had already been released in Honduras, making any communication impossible.
Breastfeeding Mother Deported in Florida
Meanwhile, in Tampa, Florida, another devastating story unfolded. Heidy Sánchez, a Cuban-born woman and mother of a 1-year-old American citizen, was detained at a scheduled ICE check-in and deported to Cuba within 48 hours. Her attorney, Claudia Cañizares, revealed that Sánchez was still breastfeeding her child, who suffers from seizures.
Cañizares attempted to file emergency paperwork to stop the deportation but claimed ICE refused to accept it, insisting that Sánchez was already en route to Cuba. “I don’t believe she was actually gone yet when we tried to intervene,” Cañizares said, highlighting the agency’s lack of transparency.
Sánchez’s deportation stemmed from an outstanding removal order linked to a missed immigration hearing in 2019. At that time, she had been detained for nine months. Cuba initially refused to take her back, leading to her conditional release and regular check-ins with ICE until this recent detention.
Despite her strong case for remaining in the U.S. — citing humanitarian grounds and family ties — ICE removed her anyway, a decision Cañizares attributes to meeting internal deportation quotas. “I think they’re following orders that they need to remove a certain amount of people by day, and they don’t care, honestly,” she said.
Broader Implications
These deportations come as President Trump’s immigration policies face renewed legal scrutiny. Critics argue that a heavy-handed enforcement approach sacrifices fundamental rights in the rush to meet deportation goals.
The deportations, particularly those involving U.S. citizen children, could set major legal precedents and influence how courts balance immigration enforcement with constitutional protections.
Advocates say cases like Sánchez’s and the Honduran mothers’ expose the human cost of an enforcement system focused more on numbers than justice.
With court hearings pending and public outrage growing, the conversation around immigration enforcement and family separation policies is far from over.
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