A Texas man is desperately fighting to reunite with his wife and children, including newborn twins, after they were abruptly deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in early December. Federico Arellano Jr., a U.S. citizen, is now pushing for justice as his wife, Christina Salazar, and their four children were sent to Mexico, where they had no ties or resources.
On December 11, just three months after Salazar gave birth to twins in Houston, she and her children, aged four, two, and newborns, were taken into ICE custody. The family was separated and placed on a plane to Reynosa, Mexico, a location where they have no family contacts or support system. According to the family’s legal representatives, Salazar and her children were not allowed to bring their coats, and it was a particularly cold night when they were detained.
Salazar, 23, was born in Mexico and had been in the process of awaiting immigration hearings with her two older children. Her newborn twins, born in the U.S., are American citizens by birthright. The family had been scheduled for an immigration hearing on October 9, but Salazar, recovering from an emergency cesarean section, could not attend. She contacted the court to notify them of her situation and was told the hearing would be rescheduled. Later, the family received a call from an immigration official instructing them to meet at a location in Houston to discuss their case.
It was at this meeting point that Salazar and her children were detained by ICE agents, without legal representation, and sent to Mexico. The family’s attorneys, Isaias Torres and Silvia Mintz, argue that the deportation was a violation of the family’s rights, as there were legal alternatives that should have been considered before taking such drastic measures.
“This case should not have escalated to this point,” Torres stated. “The family thought they were complying with the law, but they were not given the opportunity to resolve the issue properly. There were options available, and those options should have been explored before resorting to deportation.”
Arellano Jr. is now fighting for the return of his family so they can go through the proper immigration process. He hopes the case will serve as an example of the importance of following due process and ensuring families are not unnecessarily torn apart.
ICE and the U.S. Department of Justice have not responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.
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