A Texas man is currently fighting to reunite with his wife and children, who were unexpectedly deported to Mexico by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This devastating event occurred shortly after the birth of their twins.
Federico Arellano Jr, a US citizen, witnessed the apprehension of his wife, Christina Salazar, and their four children on 11 December. This happened just three months after Salazar had given birth to their twins in Houston.
Under US law, the twins automatically became US citizens by birthright citizenship. This is because they were born within the country and at least one of their parents is a citizen.
The family stated that they were informed by the court that the hearing would be rescheduled after they contacted them to inform them about the health issue.
According to reports, the family claims that they got a call from an immigration court official who instructed them to meet at a designated location in Houston to discuss their case. However, when they arrived at the meeting point, Salazar and her four children were apprehended by authorities.
The family was not legally represented when the arrest took place. However, they are now being represented by immigration attorneys Isaias Torres and Silvia Mintz. According to the attorneys, they were informed that the reason for the arrest was the failure to attend an immigration hearing.
According to Torres, this situation did not need to escalate to this extent. There were legal alternatives that could have been pursued, but unfortunately, they were not presented with those options. They believed they were following instructions and acting in compliance, only to discover later that they were mistaken.
Arellano Jr. aims to reunite his family in the United States and guide them through the proper legal immigration process.
The Guardian reached out to Ice and the Department of Justice for comment, but they did not respond.