Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Travels to Mexico to Confront Trump Administration's Cruel Deportation of U.S. Citizen Children

MEXICO - Today, Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX-29) joined a Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) delegation to Mexico, alongside CHC Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) and Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20). They traveled there to meet with a mixed-status family that was detained and deported by immigration authorities while driving to Houston for an emergency medical appointment for their 11-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer.

The family, two parents and five children, four of whom are U.S. citizens, was stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Texas in early February. Although they had letters from doctors and lawyers, they were taken into custody and deported the next day without due process. The young girl, who had recently undergone brain surgery to remove a tumor, has not been able to continue her regular treatment since being removed to Mexico, where the family says they now fear for their safety.

Congresswoman Garcia released the following statement:

"I came to Mexico because what's happening to this family is a warning to all of us. When a U.S. citizen child with a serious medical condition is deported alongside her entire family without a hearing, without medical care, and without basic human decency, that's not just an immigration issue. It's a Constitutional crisis. And if we don't push back now, it won't stop with immigrant families. The rights and protections that every American depends on will be put in danger.

My district knows this story too well. It's home to working families, many of them of mixed status, who live with the fear that a medical emergency, a traffic stop, or a checkpoint could tear their family apart. We're here to expose Trump's cruelty, to stand with this family, and to remind the Trump-Vance administration that due process isn't optional. It's a constitutional right. And it's one I intend to defend."

The family is now seeking humanitarian parole so their daughter can return to the U.S. and resume her treatment. Garcia and her colleagues are calling for a full investigation into the case and for accountability from the Trump administration and federal immigration agencies.