A 10-year-old boy from Venezuela stood alone before an immigration judge in Houston this week, navigating a deportation case without a lawyer after his mother was locked up months earlier following a traffic stop. With no parent in the courtroom and no attorney by his side, the child is now living with his mother's former employer, who has stepped in as his legal guardian.
The boy, identified by Univision, is part of a pending asylum claim with his mother, Nexoli Gómez. That report notes that the Department of Homeland Security has already filed paperwork seeking his deportation. His guardian, Marife Mosquera, told Fox San Antonio she received a notice indicating the government has explored sending him to Ecuador.
"Tenía miedo porque era mi primera vez en una corte," the boy told Univision, saying he misses his mother and that both his weight and his schoolwork have suffered since she was taken into custody. Mosquera said she went with him to court and has been pressing officials for answers while she tries to line up legal help.
What This Could Mean
Immigrant-rights advocates say cases like this are a harsh example of how aggressive enforcement can leave children suspended between immigration court and the federal detention system. Letters from children held at the Dilley family detention center, published by ProPublica and summarized by Axios, describe long stays and difficult conditions that legal groups say make separated proceedings especially harmful for kids.
Local coverage has also tracked tougher enforcement efforts in the Houston area, including an Immigration and Customs Enforcement records request for driver data that advocates warn could broaden who gets targeted. The Houston Chronicle reported on that records push last year.
Guardian Raises Alarm
Mosquera, who is serving as the boy's legal guardian, said she received a notice that officials had looked at designating Ecuador as his country of removal and that she is still "waiting for more information" from federal authorities. She told Fox San Antonio she fears Immigration and Customs Enforcement could take the child into custody or send him to a detention facility. Mosquera said she plans to keep searching for an attorney while his asylum claim moves forward.
Next Steps
The boy's asylum case is still pending, and his immigration proceedings will continue on a separate track from his mother's while she remains detained. Unlike in criminal court, there is no guarantee of a government-appointed lawyer in immigration court, even for children. The American Bar Association notes that respondents typically must secure private or pro bono counsel if they want to mount a full defense.
In practice, that often means local immigrant-rights organizations scramble to match kids like this 10-year-old with volunteer attorneys. Advocates say that work is already underway in his case as the clock on his deportation fight keeps ticking.
