A Houston family is involved in an immigration dispute after ICE deported Christina Salazar and her four children, including newborn twins, to Mexico last Wednesday. Her husband, Federico Arellano, a U.S. citizen, is challenging the deportation. Salazar missed an immigration court hearing because she was recovering from an emergency cesarean section, as stated by KHOU 11.
Salazar, who had recently given birth to twins, missed a court date on October 9 while recovering at home. The family tried to notify the court to reschedule and was told the hearing would be postponed. However, ICE agents arrested Salazar and her children when they went to discuss their case. Arellano, who was there, said they were "shocked and surprised that they were separated" and that ICE agents threatened him if he intervened. The family's lawyers said Salazar and the children were treated like "high-risk criminals" for what appeared to be a simple mistake. They were told, "The reason she was arrested, they were told, is that she failed to go to an immigration hearing." Afterward, Salazar and the children were deported to Reynosa, Mexico, according to KHOU 11.
The family plans to challenge the deportation by filing a complaint with the Office of Inspector General and petitioning the immigration courts, a process that could take several months. As reported by CBS19 on their YouTube, ICE confirmed that Salazar missed a court appearance, which led to the deportation order. However, Torres said, "There were options, legal options, that were available and he was not given those opportunities." The Executive Office for Immigration Review has not commented on the case.
