Federal Judge Questions Deportation of 2-Year-Old U.S. Citizen to Honduras

A federal judge has raised serious concerns over the deportation of a two-year-old U.S. citizen, identified in court documents as V.M.L., who was reportedly sent to Honduras along with her Honduran-born mother and 11-year-old sister. The incident has prompted questions about whether proper legal procedures were followed.

According to court filings, V.M.L. was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in January 2023. On April 22, 2025, during a routine check-in at the New Orleans office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the child, her mother, and sister were detained. The child’s father, who had brought them to the appointment, was reportedly given documents stating that the mother was in custody and would contact him soon.

An attorney representing the family informed ICE that the child was a U.S. citizen and provided a copy of her birth certificate. Despite this, ICE agents allegedly proceeded with the deportation. The father was allowed only a brief, one-minute phone call with the mother, limiting their ability to discuss the situation.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty expressed “strong suspicion” that the government deported a U.S. citizen without meaningful process. He noted that attempts to verify the mother’s consent for the child’s deportation were unsuccessful, as she had already been released in Honduras.

The judge has scheduled a hearing for May 16 to investigate the matter further. The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department have not commented on the case.