Judge concerned as 2-year-old US citizen deported to Honduras without due process

Handwritten note in Spanish from mother cited to justify deportation stating she wished to accompany her daughter

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A federal judge expressed serious concern Friday after a two-year-old US citizen was deported to Honduras alongside her undocumented mother, despite legal efforts to keep the child in the United States.

US District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana scheduled a hearing for May 16 to investigate the deportation of the child, identified in court documents as V.M.L.

Born in New Orleans in 2023, the toddler was detained with her mother and sister during a routine check-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office earlier this week.

Despite V.M.L.’s father informing officials that the girl was a US citizen and seeking to halt the deportation, immigration authorities proceeded.

A handwritten note in Spanish, allegedly from the mother, was cited to justify the deportation, claiming she wished for her daughter to accompany her.

However, Judge Doughty questioned whether the government sufficiently verified the mother's wishes or the child's custodial rights.

An attempt by the court to speak with the mother on Friday was unsuccessful.

Government attorneys later confirmed that the mother and child had already been released in Honduras, prompting the judge’s suspicion that the deportation occurred "with no meaningful process."

The case marks a rare rebuke from Doughty, a Trump appointee known for past rulings favoring conservative challenges.

His concern highlights broader questions about due process violations amid the Trump administration's deportation practices.

The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have not commented on the incident.

Lawyers representing the toddler’s father and guardian say they will continue to fight for her safe return to the United States.

As a US citizen, V.M.L. is likely eligible to reenter the country, but the situation underscores urgent concerns over immigration enforcement practices involving American citizen children.