President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan responded to claims this week that a 2-year-old American citizen was deported to Honduras "with no meaningful process."
This began when U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana wrote that a toddler, known as “VML,” was sent to Honduras with her mother and sister as a court sought to clarify the girl’s immigration status.
Doughty set a hearing on the case for May 16 "in the interest of dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process."
Doughty called counsel for the federal government to try to speak with VML’s family, but they were already en route for Honduras.
"The Government contends that this is all okay because the mother wishes that the child be deported with her," Doughty wrote. "But the Court doesn't know that."
Left-wing media outlets like The Washington Post highlighted this story as an example that “the Trump administration is carrying out deportations in a way that violates the legal rights of both citizens and noncitizens.”
In an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Homan insisted that American children with illegal immigrant parents are not “deported.”
“No U.S. citizen child was deported,” Homan said. “Deported means ordered by an immigration judge.”
Homan added that the parents may choose to take their children with them when facing deportation.
Regarding the 2-year-old, specifically, Homan said “there was due process.”
“The 2-year-old baby left with the mother because the mother signed a document requesting her 2-year-old baby go with her. That’s the parent’s decision. I don’t think the judge knows the specifics of this case. The 2-year-old went with the mom. The mom signed a paper…it’s not a government decision.”