Federal judge suspects 2-year-old US citizen deported without ‘meaningful process’

A federal judge on Friday sounded the alarm after lawyers alleged the Trump administration deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen without “meaningful process.”

The toddler’s father filed a petition for release after the child was deported alongside her sister and mother, who was determined to be in the country illegally, to Honduras.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, an appointee of President Trump, confirmed that the child had been released in the Central American country with her family.

Doughty scheduled a hearing on the matter for May 16 in Louisiana in the interest of “dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”

In the court filings, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials claimed the mother told agents she wanted to keep the child in her custody. The Trump administration included a note written in Spanish, apparently from the mother, but the judge said it would have to be verified, according to reports.

“The Government contends that this is all okay because the mother wishes that the child be deported with her. But the Court doesn’t know that,” Doughty wrote in legal documents.

He added that the court spoke with administration counsel but attempts to speak with the mother of the child — known by the initials V.M.L. — were void, as officials said she had been released in Honduras.

“In this case, the parent stated they wanted to be removed with the children,” a senior Department of Homeland Security official told The Hill on Saturday.

“We take our responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected,” they added.

The incident follows a series of alleged wrongful deportations of lawful residents by ICE as part of the president’s sweeping immigration agenda. Most recently, the Trump administration has been under fire for the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador.

The White House and ICE did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Updated at 1:15 p.m. EDT.