A federal judge raised concerns on Friday that a 2-year-old U.S. citizen may have been deported alongside her illegal immigrant mother without receiving any meaningful legal review.
In a memorandum order filed on April 25 at a court in Louisiana, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty said there was a “strong suspicion” that the child, identified in court records as V.M.L., had been removed to Honduras “with no meaningful process.” The judge scheduled a hearing for May 16 to determine whether federal immigration authorities violated the toddler’s constitutional rights.
The case stems from an emergency habeas corpus petition filed on April 24 by attorneys representing V.M.L.’s custodian, Trish Mack, who alleged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) effectively held the child incommunicado—allowing no meaningful access to legal counsel or family—and rushed her removal despite being notified of her U.S. citizenship status….