The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently deported a 23-year-old mother of four, Cristina Salazar, and her children to Reynosa, Mexico.
Two of the children are newborn U.S. citizens, making the decision especially contentious. The deportation occurred after Salazar missed an immigration court hearing in Houston, reportedly due to an emergency medical situation.
Salazar, who had an emergency cesarean section to deliver twins just a month prior, was arrested along with her children during what the family expected to be a routine meeting about her immigration case.
According to her husband, Federico Arellano Jr., a U.S. citizen, the family had notified the immigration court about her medical situation and believed the hearing would be rescheduled.
However, when the family arrived at the designated location for what they thought was a discussion about the case, ICE agents arrested Salazar and her children.
Arellano described the emotional scene, saying his children cried as they were separated from him and their mother. “They were treated as if they were high-risk criminals,” the family’s attorney stated in a news release.
Arellano expressed his disbelief and heartbreak, explaining that the arrest was unnecessary and unjust. He and Salazar’s attorneys argued