Two-year-old American citizen deported to Honduras "with no meaningful process"

A federal judge voiced serious concern on Friday over the deportation of a two-year-old American citizen, suggesting the Trump administration may have expelled the child "with no meaningful process," Reuters reported.

US District Judge Terry A. Doughty said the young girl, identified in court filings as "V.M.L.," was removed from the country alongside her mother.

"It is illegal and unconstitutional to deport, detain for deportation, or recommend deportation of a US citizen," Doughty emphasized during a hearing. He scheduled another court session for May 19, citing the urgent need to "dispel our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a US citizen with no meaningful process."

The events unfolded after V.M.L., her mother, Jenny Carolina Lopez Villela, and an older sibling were apprehended by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine check-in at an ICE office in New Orleans.

According to a court filing by Trish Mack, who was designated by the child’s father to act as custodian, the father briefly spoke with Villela over the phone during the detention and heard both the mother and children crying. During that conversation, the father reminded Villela that their daughter was a US citizen and "could not be deported," the filing states.

However, prosecutors argued that Villela, who holds legal custody of V.M.L., informed ICE that she wished to keep her daughter with her and travel together to Honduras. They also noted that the man claiming to be the child’s father had not responded to ICE’s repeated requests to present himself in person.

"It is therefore in V.M.L.’s best interest that she remain in the lawful custody of her mother," government officials stated in a court submission. They added that "V.M.L. is not at risk of irreparable harm because she is a US citizen," and noted that the toddler is not barred from returning to the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) harshly criticized the deportation, calling it a "shocking ... abuse of power." In a statement, the organization said, "These actions stand in direct violation of ICE’s own written and informal directives, which mandate coordination for the care of minor children with willing caretakers – regardless of immigration status – when deportations are being carried out."

This incident comes against a backdrop of heightened controversy over immigration policies under President Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Trump proposed deporting certain violent US citizen offenders to El Salvadoran prisons, a suggestion that has drawn fierce criticism from civil rights groups and constitutional scholars alike.