A family recently deported from the United States to Mexico has lodged a complaint alleging "serious abuses" during their detention in the U.S. before their removal. This mixed-status family consists of two undocumented parents and six children, five of whom hold U.S. citizenship. On February 4, the family was stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Texas and subsequently deported to Mexico.
Among the children is a 10-year-old girl recovering from brain cancer surgery, whose medical treatment has been severely disrupted due to the deportation. The Texas Civil Rights Project filed a complaint on behalf of the family with the Department of Homeland Security’s civil rights and civil liberties office. The complaint accuses Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of denying urgent medical care to the girl, holding the U.S. citizen children in poor conditions, violating the family's due process rights, and subjecting them to abuse and humiliation.
This situation arises amid intensified deportation efforts by the Trump administration. Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar," has indicated that families with mixed immigration statuses can be deported together, forcing parents to choose between staying with their children or leaving them in the U.S. The parents in this case chose to stay united with their children.
The Texas Civil Rights Project claims that officials forced the parents into a difficult decision: either leave their children in U.S. custody or face deportation together. According to the complaint, on February 3, 2025, the family was traveling to Houston for emergency treatment for their daughter at a Texas children's hospital. They were stopped at an immigration checkpoint they had previously passed without issue. Despite presenting hospital documentation and birth certificates proving their children's citizenship, the family was detained for over 24 hours and then deported to Mexico, where the daughter cannot receive necessary treatment.
The complaint also highlights that the family's 15-year-old son, a U.S. citizen, and another child, who is not a citizen, both suffer from long QT syndrome, a heart condition known to CBP's medical team. Despite this, CBP allegedly did not provide medical care or transfer the children to a hospital. Instead, the 10-year-old girl was forced to sleep in poor conditions while still recovering from surgery.
The complaint further alleges inappropriate searches of the children and restricted access to legal counsel for the parents. CBP responded by stating that the reported facts are inaccurate and that individuals who ignore expedited removal orders face consequences.
The Texas Civil Rights Project is calling for an immediate investigation and humanitarian parole for the parents and the non-citizen child to reunite the family while the daughter receives medical care. Currently, the family remains in Mexico, unable to access necessary healthcare and fearing for their safety. Their oldest child, a U.S. citizen, was not with them during the deportation and remains in the U.S.
The complaint emphasizes the parents' positive contributions to their Texas community, their active church involvement, and their lack of criminal records. The mother reported that since their deportation, the 10-year-old has not received essential follow-up care, resulting in brain swelling that affects her speech and mobility.