A Texas family was on their way to a medical checkup when immigration officials detained them at a checkpoint and later deported them.
A 10-year-old girl, a U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer, was removed from the country along with her undocumented parents and four of her American-born siblings. Now, the family is in Mexico, struggling to get the medical care she needs.
Detained at a Checkpoint
The family lived in Rio Grande City, Texas, and frequently traveled to Houston for the girl’s medical checkups. On February 4, while on their way to an emergency appointment, they were stopped at an immigration checkpoint. The parents had crossed the checkpoint many times before without problems, using letters from their doctors and lawyers to explain their situation.
However, this time, immigration officers arrested them because they lacked legal documents to stay in the U.S. The girl’s mother said she tried to explain their situation, but the officers ignored her. According to their lawyer, the parents have no criminal history—only their immigration status was in question.
Family’s Health Struggles
The 10-year-old girl had brain surgery last year to remove a tumor. Her condition is still serious, as she has trouble speaking and moving the right side of her body. Before the deportation, she was receiving regular checkups, therapy, and medicine to prevent seizures. Now in Mexico, she is unable to get the medical care she needs.
Another child in the family, a 15-year-old boy, has a heart condition called Long QT syndrome, which can cause life-threatening heartbeats. He also hasn’t received proper medical care since the deportation.
Separated and Deported
After their arrest, the family was taken to a detention center. The mother and daughters were separated from the father and sons. The mother realized then that her daughter wouldn’t make it to her doctor’s appointment.
Later, they were placed in a van and left on the Mexican side of a Texas bridge. They first stayed in a shelter before moving into a house, but they don’t feel safe. The children haven’t been able to go to school, and the mother worries about their future.
Risk of Family Separation
Many undocumented parents of U.S.-born children fear losing custody if they are deported. Without legal guardianship papers, children left behind can end up in foster care, making it hard for parents to reunite with them.
The girl’s parents came to the U.S. from Mexico in 2013, hoping for a better life. They worked multiple jobs to support their six children. Their oldest son, 17, remains in Texas.
Similar cases have happened before. Recently, in California, an undocumented mother caring for her U.S. citizen daughter, who has bone cancer, was detained but later released under humanitarian parole.
The Texas Civil Rights Project, which is helping the family, is calling on the government to bring them back to the U.S. and prevent similar cases from happening again.
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