A federal judge has raised serious questions about how a 2-year-old American citizen may have been deported to Honduras without any proper legal procedure. The case is gaining national attention as more details unfold about how the young child, identified in court as V.M.L., was allegedly removed from the U.S. despite being born on American soil.
V.M.L., her undocumented mother, and an older sibling were detained during a routine immigration check-in in New Orleans. According to court filings, when the girl’s father—an American citizen—found out, he immediately contacted immigration officials through his attorney to clarify that his daughter is a U.S. citizen and cannot legally be deported.
Despite the lawyer’s efforts, immigration officers gave the father limited information and access to his family. He reportedly tried to obtain custody of his daughter, but was warned he could be detained if he insisted. A family friend who had been given temporary guardianship rights tried to stop the deportation by filing a request for a restraining order. The legal filing stated the child was facing “irreparable harm” while being held unlawfully.
However, before the court could act, the toddler and her family were reportedly put on a plane and flown to Honduras. This information came from documents filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is now representing the family in court.
Government attorneys responded by saying that the child was not in danger because she was with her mother and could return to the U.S. since she is a citizen. But U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty was not satisfied with that explanation. He criticized federal lawyers for failing to confirm whether the mother had agreed to her daughter’s removal, only to be told that she had already been released in Honduras.
The judge has now set a hearing for May 16, 2025, to further investigate what happened. He noted there is a “strong suspicion” that the government may have deported a U.S. citizen child “with no meaningful process.”
The ACLU called the situation “deeply troubling” and says this is not an isolated case. The group also noted that two other U.S.-born children were recently deported under similar circumstances.
