Judge Says ICE May Have Deported 2-Year-Old US Citizen Without Due Process

The DOJ says the child is in the lawful custody of the mother but the judge cites ’strong suspicion‘ the deportation was done without ’meaningful process.’

The Department of Homeland Security flag flies outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington on July 17, 2020. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

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.