Sick infant in ICE custody deported with family after becoming unresponsive at hospital
Two-month-old who had been hospitalized after weeks of illness in ICE custody was removed from the U.S. with his parents and toddler sister
The two-month-old boy who fell ill and became unresponsive during a hospital visit while in ICE custody has been deported along with his parents and toddler sister, according to the family’s attorney, after weeks of reported medical concerns at a South Texas detention facility.
The family was deported with only about $190 from their detention commissary account, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) said, after weeks in which the infant had been ill at the Dilley facility and his mother and advocates raised repeated concerns about his health and access to medical care.
Castro said the family -– including Juan, his 16-month-old sister and their parents — was deported after the infant had recently been hospitalized and became unresponsive during a medical emergency, though details about the timing, destination and current condition of the child remain unclear.
“We are laser-focused on tracking them down, holding ICE accountable for this monstrous action, demanding specific details on their whereabouts and wellbeing, and ensuring their safety,” Castro posted on social media.
Castro said his office is working to determine the family’s whereabouts and the infant’s current condition, including whether Juan is receiving medical care following the deportation.
The hospital visit came days after Juan began “choking on his own vomit” without medical staff available to help, according to reporter Lidia Terrazas, who said the baby’s mother also reported she stopped producing breast milk in detention and has had to prepare his formula with foul-smelling water. Castro said Juan has been “consistently” sick during the family’s roughly three weeks at the facility, suffering vomiting and respiratory problems.
“He has been sick, and they don’t have the medical capacity to treat him,” Castro said.
Castro said Juan’s mother appeared in immigration court Tuesday, where she was told she and her son would be deported.
“We are all deeply concerned that Juan and his mom will be deported and that Juan’s health will continue to deteriorate,” Castro said. “His life is in danger.”
The congressman said he first learned of the infant during a visit to the Dilley facility on January 28, when the child had been held there for four or five days.
Baby Juan has now spent nearly half his young life in detention.
CoreCivic, which operates the detention facility did not directly respond to questions about the timeline of the infant’s hospital transport and discharge, the availability of on-site medical staff or the care provided after his return. In a statement, Senior Director of Public Affairs Ryan Gustin said, “The health and safety of those entrusted to our care is the top priority for CoreCivic. This commitment is shared by our government partners at ICE, and we work closely with them to ensure the well-being of everyone in our care.”
The case echoes a similar incident last month involving an 18-month-old girl held with her parents at the same South Texas detention center. According to a federal lawsuit, the toddler, Amalia, became critically ill and was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening respiratory failure, only to be returned to detention days later despite doctors prescribing daily medication.
The lawsuit states Amalia remained in custody for nine more days and was released only after attorneys filed an emergency habeas corpus petition in federal court challenging her continued detention. She was freed shortly after the filing.
“Baby Amalia fell gravely ill at Dilley and nearly died,” said Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor and director of the school’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, who filed the petition seeking the family’s release. “After she was hospitalized for 10 days receiving life-saving treatments, ICE returned her to Dilley and denied her access to medication prescribed by doctors.”
Amalia had been healthy before immigration authorities arrested her family in El Paso and transferred them to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, where hundreds of children are held with their parents.
Court filings say her condition rapidly deteriorated, and on January 18, she was hospitalized in San Antonio and treated for pneumonia, COVID-19, RSV and severe respiratory distress.
This is a developing story…
Horrifying. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
I am so shocked by what has become of this country.