A 10-year-old U.S. citizen undergoing treatment for brain cancer was deported to Mexico along with her family after they were stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Texas last month, NBC News reported. The girl and her four American siblings were removed from Texas on Feb. 4 after their undocumented parents were detained and deported.
The family’s ordeal began when they traveled from their home in the Rio Grande to Houston for an emergency medical checkup with the girl’s specialist doctors. While en route, they passed through an immigration checkpoint—something they had done multiple times before without issue. However, this time, when the parents failed to provide legal immigration documentation, they were arrested.
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Danny Woodward of the Texas Civil Rights Project, which is representing the family, told the Mirror News that they had previously shown letters from their doctors and lawyers to border officers at the checkpoint to be allowed through. But this time, the letters were not enough.
The girl’s mother, whose name was not made public, told NBC News that despite her attempts to explain her daughter’s medical condition, the officers “weren’t interested in hearing that.” Other than their immigration status, the parents have “no criminal history,” Woodward said.
After their arrest, the mother and her daughters were separated from the father and sons. At that moment, she realized she would not be able to take her daughter to the doctor. “The fear is horrible. I almost can’t explain it, but it’s something frustrating, very tough, something you wouldn’t wish on anyone,” she said, adding that her sick daughter was forced to lie on a cold detention center floor under bright fluorescent lights.
Hours later, the family was transported to the Texas-Mexico border and dropped off on the Mexican side of the bridge. They found refuge in a shelter for a week before managing to move into a house. Since their removal, neither the 10-year-old girl nor her 15-year-old brother—who suffers from a heart condition called Long QT syndrome—have received medical care.
The mother fears for their safety and says her children have not been able to attend school. “The authorities have my children’s lives in their hands,” she said. Both parents have lived in the U.S. since 2013 in hopes of building a “better life for the family.”
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Their daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and underwent surgery to remove a tumor. Before being deported, she was receiving routine checkups to monitor her recovery. “It’s a very difficult thing,” the mother said. “I don’t wish anyone to go through this situation.”
Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, condemned the deportation. “What is happening to this family is an absolute tragedy, and it is something that is not isolated to just them,” Garza said, noting that similar cases involving mixed-status families have surfaced under the Trump administration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which detained and deported the family, declined to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns.
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