Family Sues Over ICE Courthouse Arrests Involving Children/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A Honduran mother and her two children are suing the U.S. government, challenging ICE’s practice of arresting migrants at courthouses. Their case, believed to be the first involving children, argues the arrests violate constitutional rights. The family remains detained in Texas as legal battles unfold.
ICE Courthouse Arrests + Quick Looks
- Historic lawsuit filed: First known case involving children challenging courthouse ICE arrests.
- Mother and kids detained: Family remains in Texas detention center amid health concerns.
- Severe medical risks: Six-year-old boy battling leukemia misses critical care.
- Constitutional claims raised: Lawsuit cites Fourth and Fifth Amendment violations.
- Trump policies at center: Mass deportation efforts spark legal backlash.
Family Sues Over ICE Courthouse Arrests Involving Children
Deep Look
IMMIGRANT FAMILY SUES OVER ICE ARRESTS AT COURTHOUSES
A Honduran mother and her two young children are suing the federal government, marking what advocates say is the first legal challenge involving minors against the Trump administration’s policy of arresting immigrants at courthouses.
Filed in Texas this week, the lawsuit argues that arresting the family—who had entered the U.S. legally under a Biden-era immigration program—violated their constitutional rights.
“The executive branch cannot seize, arrest, or detain people indefinitely when they’re doing exactly what our government has told them to do,” said Elora Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor representing the family.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to requests for comment. A judge has ordered the government to file its response by July 1.
ICE COURTHOUSE ARRESTS UNDER SCRUTINY
Since May, federal officers have escalated arrests of migrants attending routine court hearings, as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified deportation drive. In many cases, after a judge dismisses immigration proceedings, ICE agents immediately detain individuals outside courtrooms, placing them into “expedited removal,” which fast-tracks deportations.
Mukherjee said this Texas case is the first filed on behalf of children challenging the practice. Similar lawsuits have emerged in states like New York, where a judge recently barred federal immigration arrests at courthouses.
MOTHER’S FEARS FOR SICK SON
The Texas lawsuit uses pseudonyms to protect the family’s identities, referring to the mother as “Ms. Z.” She and her children, ages six and nine, have been detained for weeks at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.
Mukherjee described how the mother has watched her six-year-old son’s health deteriorate while in custody. The child, who recently underwent chemotherapy for leukemia, missed a critical medical appointment after his arrest.
“He’s easily bruising, he has bone pain, he looks pale,” Mukherjee said. “His mom is terrified that these are signs his leukemia is worsening.”
FAMILY FLED VIOLENCE, ENTERED LEGALLY
The family fled Honduras in October 2024 after facing death threats. They used the CBP One app, an appointment system launched under President Joe Biden, to enter the U.S. legally and were paroled into the country by Homeland Security officials, who determined they posed no threat.
They were ordered to appear in Los Angeles immigration court on May 29. But Trump ended CBP One for new arrivals on his first day back in office, halting the legal pathway that had allowed over 900,000 migrants to enter since January 2023.
During the hearing, Mukherjee said, the mother attempted to inform the judge that the family wished to continue pursuing asylum. But Homeland Security attorneys moved to dismiss their cases, and the judge granted the motion without further proceedings.
TERRIFYING ARREST OUTSIDE COURT
As the family left the courtroom, they were confronted by men in plain clothes, believed to be ICE agents, who arrested them on the spot.
They spent roughly 11 hours at a Los Angeles processing center, where they received only minimal food—a single apple, a small pack of cookies, juice, and water.
Mukherjee described a terrifying moment when an officer near the young boy lifted his shirt to reveal a gun, causing the child to urinate on himself. He remained in wet clothes until the next morning.
The family has been detained at Dilley ever since.
“The family is suffering in detention,” Mukherjee said. “The kids cry every night. They’re praying to God for release.”
DEPORTATION STILL LOOMS
The family’s lawyers have appealed the immigration judge’s decision, but the risk of deportation remains imminent, as the government insists the family is subject to expedited removal procedures.
Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project who’s also representing the family, called the arrests unlawful and unnecessary.
“The essential question in our case is: when families are doing everything right, especially with young children, should there be some protection?” Gibson Kumar said. “We say ‘yes.’”
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