Family of U.S.-Born Children Deported, Including 10-Year-Old Cancer Patient

A Texas family with four U.S.-born children, including a 10-year-old girl recovering from brain cancer, was deported to Mexico last month after immigration authorities detained the parents at a checkpoint, NBC News reports. The family, who had passed through the same checkpoint multiple times before without issue, was separated, detained, and eventually left on the Mexican side of the border with little assistance.

The parents had lived in the U.S. since 2013, working to support their six children. Their 10-year-old daughter, diagnosed with brain cancer last year, had been receiving treatment, attending rehabilitation, and taking medication to prevent seizures. Another child, a 15-year-old son, has a heart condition that requires monitoring. Since the deportation, neither child has been able to access the medical care they need.

According to the family’s lawyer from the Texas Civil Rights Project, the parents had no criminal history beyond lacking legal immigration status. While previous border crossings were allowed with documentation from their doctors and attorneys, this time, immigration authorities detained them and later deported the entire family, including the four U.S.-born children.

After their deportation, the family was left at a bridge in Texas and spent a week in a shelter before finding housing. Safety concerns have kept them from enrolling the children in school, and their health conditions remain untreated. The mother, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, expressed fear and frustration over their situation.

Advocates, including Texas Civil Rights Project President Rochelle Garza, are calling on the government to grant the family humanitarian parole and prevent similar cases in the future. This is just one of several recent deportation cases affecting families with U.S.-born children, sparking concerns over the impact of immigration policies on mixed-status families.