Deported Mothers Held in Isolation, Denied Opportunity to Arrange Care for U.S. Citizen Children, Lawyers Say

 Two Honduran women, deported alongside their U.S. citizen children, were held in "complete isolation" without access to legal counsel or the opportunity to arrange custody plans for their children before being placed on a deportation flight, according to attorneys representing the families.

Gracie Willis, an attorney with the National Immigration Project, said the women were unable to contact lawyers or family members and were not offered the option to transfer custody of their citizen children to another parent or guardian. "These mothers were isolated, informed about their children’s fate, and denied any meaningful opportunity to deliberate or make informed decisions," Willis said.

One of the deported mothers, accompanied by her seven- and four-year-old children—both U.S. citizens—was reportedly deprived of necessary medical treatment for her youngest child, who is battling a rare form of late-stage cancer. Another woman, who is pregnant, was deported along with her two- and eleven-year-old daughters, despite desperate attempts by the children’s father and a designated caretaker to intervene.

"She is in the early stages of pregnancy and under immense stress, trying to safeguard both her own health and that of her unborn child while coping with this traumatic experience," Willis said.

Both families had been detained during routine check-in appointments with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Orleans. They were then transported to remote facilities hours away from the city, cut off from any communication with their families.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrant parents facing deportation orders must make agonizing decisions about whether to leave their U.S.-born children behind with guardians or surrender them to Child Protective Services. "No parent should be forced into such a situation," Willis noted, adding that in these cases, the mothers were not given any real choice.

Following the deportation, an emergency motion was filed on behalf of VML, the two-year-old U.S. citizen identified only by initials in court documents. A federal district judge expressed concern over what he described as a “strong suspicion that the government just deported a U.S. citizen without any meaningful process.” A hearing in VML’s case is scheduled for May 18.

The Trump administration has maintained that all legal protocols were followed. Former border czar Tom Homan stated: "The children aren’t deported. The mother chose to take the children with her." Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that view, suggesting that the children could have remained with their fathers in the United States.

However, Willis contested these assertions, noting that VML’s father had been actively trying to reach his partner and retrieve his child before the deportation. On April 22, VML’s mother had been instructed to bring her children to her ICE check-in. When the appointment unusually dragged on, VML’s father became concerned. He later learned that his partner and children had been detained, and during a brief, emotionally charged phone call, was unable to provide a contact for the family’s attorneys before the call was abruptly cut off.

Government officials subsequently claimed that the mother had voluntarily agreed to take VML to Honduras, citing a handwritten Spanish note stating: “I will take my daughter ... with me to Honduras.” The family’s lawyers, however, argue that the note was signed under duress, pointing out that the mother was never given a genuine option to arrange custody.

Prior to their deportation, both families had been compliant with ICE directives, attending regular check-ins. VML’s mother had originally entered the U.S. during the Trump administration’s "Remain in Mexico" policy, which forced asylum seekers to await immigration proceedings south of the border. After being kidnapped in Mexico, she missed a crucial immigration hearing but later reentered the U.S. and consistently complied with immigration requirements for nearly four years.

The second mother, deported with her two young children, had initially entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor. Her deportation order stemmed from a missed hearing she was unaware of, having never received proper notice, according to her attorney.

The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to multiple requests for comment on these cases.