ACLU ends ‘baseless' lawsuit over deportation of a Honduran mother and her children
May 10 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union has dropped its federal lawsuit accusing the Department of Homeland Security of illegally deporting a U.S. child and her Honduran mother and sister.
"The ACLU dropped its lawsuit on the false claims that DHS deported a U.S. citizen," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Saturday in a news release.
The news release referred to the federal lawsuit as "baseless lawfare" against the DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The truth is, and always has been, that the mother - who was in the country illegally - chose to bring her 2-year-old with her to Honduras when she was removed," McLaughlin said.
"The narrative that DHS is deporting American children is false and irresponsible."
The ACLU filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on behalf of Trish Mack, whom the filing referred to as "best friend of V.M.L."
"V.M.L." are the initials used to identify the 2-year-old child who was born in the United States but whose mother, whom DHS identified as Jenny Carolina Lopez-Villela, chose to take with her to Honduras.
Lopez-Villela illegally entered the United States with V.M.L.'s older sister three times in two years, according to the DHS.
She entered in September 2019 with her oldest daughter but was "deemed inadmissible" and was given final orders of removal in March 2020.
Lopez-Villela also illegally entered the United States in March 2021 and again in August 2021, along with her oldest daughter.
She was detained by ICE in April when arriving with her daughters for a routine immigration check-in at a New Orleans facility.
When told she would be deported to Honduras, Lopez-Villela chose to bring V.M.L. with her instead of leaving her with another person to remain in the United States.
"Parents who are here illegally can take control of their departure," DHS said of the U.S.-born children of parents who face deportation.
They can use the CBP Home app to self-deport, along with their children, and "return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream," the DHS news release says.
The CBP Home app is free and available for all mobile devices.
The ACLU did not respond to a request for comment made Saturday afternoon, but in an April 25th news release accused the New Orleans ICE field office of deporting three "U.S. citizen children."
Two of those children are Lopez-Villela's daughters, only one of whom is a U.S. citizen, according to DHS.
The other child is a 7-year-old who also left when the child's pregnant mother was deported after being arrested in New Orleans in April.
That child's citizenship status was neither confirmed nor denied by the DHS, but the ACLU says the child is afflicted with a rare form of cancer.
ICE deported the mother who took her child with her despite ICE having been notified of the child's medical needs and the mother's pregnancy, according to the ACLU.
The ACLU said the deportations were done "under deeply disturbing circumstances that raise serious due process concerns."
"The families had lived in the United States for years and had deep ties to their communities," the ACLU said.
They were denied access to their attorneys, which the ACLU says deprived them of legal counsel, and ICE deported the mothers and their children on an early morning flight from Louisiana.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
15 minutes ago
- Fox News
Family of Boulder firebombing suspect taken into federal custody, visas revoked: sources
The family of a Boulder, Colorado, firebombing suspect is in federal custody and their visas have been revoked, sources confirm to Fox News. According to senior sources within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the wife and five children of 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman were taken into custody. A senior State Department official confirmed to Fox News that all visas for the Soliman family have been revoked. In a statement provided by the senior official, the department emphasized its commitment to national security, saying, "The Secretary did exactly what he said he would — support the administration's objective of getting terrorists and their family members out of America." The family is being processed for expedited removal, sources said. In a statement on X Tuesday afternoon, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency is investigating his family to identify "to what extent" they knew about the alleged attack. "Mohamed's despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we're also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack," Noem said in the X post. "If they had any knowledge of it or if they provided any support to it." Soliman is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa after entering the U.S. during the Biden administration, three DHS and ICE sources told Fox News. Soliman first arrived in the U.S. after landing at Los Angeles International Airport Aug. 27, 2022, with a non-immigrant visa. He was authorized to stay through Feb. 2, 2023, but never left. On Sept. 9, 2022, he filed a claim with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. On March 29, 2023, Soliman was granted work authorization, which was valid through March of this year. Victims and witnesses observed Soliman throw what appeared to be a glass bottle, which burst upon impact, creating large flames, toward a crowd of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder Sunday, authorities said. Twelve people were injured in the attack. None of the victims have died. Now facing a litany of charges, including multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and possession of incendiary devices, Soliman is being held on $10 million bond. Judicial District Attorney Michael Dougherty outlined the severe potential penalties Soliman faces if convicted on all charges related to the alleged June 1 attack. He faces 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder – eight for attempted murder with intent and deliberation and eight for attempted murder with extreme indifference. If he's convicted and sentences are ordered to run consecutively, he could face a maximum of 384 years in state prison for those charges alone. In addition, Soliman is charged with two counts of use of an incendiary device, which could add up to 48 years if served consecutively. He also faces 16 counts of attempted use of an incendiary device, carrying a potential additional 192 years. In total, the maximum possible sentence could reach 624 years if all convictions are handed down and run consecutively. Along with charges at the state level, he has also been federally charged with a hate crime involving actual or perceived race, religion or national origin. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, June 5, at 3:30 p.m. MT.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How did the Boulder attack suspect have a Colorado license?
(COLORADO) — More details about the Boulder Pearl Street Mall suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, are surfacing days after the attack. Soliman, who lived in El Paso County, entered the U.S. in August 2022 on a B-2 tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The visa is used for foreign tourists' visits to the U.S. DHS further confirmed that the visa expired in February 2023. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told AP News that Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and was granted work authorization in March 2023, which had also expired. On Monday, June 2, Congressman Jeff Crank reported that Soliman had received a Colorado-issued driver's license in July 2024, a year after his visa had expired. 'Instead of turning him over to ICE, Colorado lawmakers gave him a sanctuary pass,' Crank wrote via X (formerly known as Twitter). 'Shocker.' FOX21 News reached out to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which confirmed that Soliman had received a Colorado driver's license 'The DMV has reviewed the history of this individual and confirms that federal law and Colorado law and rule were followed in the issuance of a Standard driver's license, which are authorized under the REAL ID Act and are not REAL ID compliant,' the DMV said. The DMV further explained that under Colorado law, 'if a person provides valid proof of temporary lawful presence at the time of issuance, the DMV will issue the person a Standard Credential. Standard credentials are valid for 3 years, and include a black banner that identifies it as a Standard credential and language on its face that states it cannot be used for federal purposes.' The law, C.R.S. 42-2-506, states that an individual who is temporarily present in the U.S. could apply for an identification document if they had any documents that showed the individual is lawfully present in the U.S. and 'satisfied the department'. DMV law for undocumented Colorado residents changed on March 31, 2025. A Colorado bill signed in 2024, SB24-182, updated issuance requirements for undocumented residents and would allow them to obtain a non-Real ID compliant driver's license. According to the DMV, effective on March 31, applicants would no longer need a Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), proof of Colorado income tax, or printed documentation of Colorado residence for the preceding two years. Applicants would need to provide: A completed CO-RCSA affidavit One proof of current Colorado residential address One form of identification: passport, consular card, or military identification card from the home country 'Colorado lawmakers and our governor gave him a sanctuary pass,' Crank said during a meeting. 'This tragedy could have been avoided.' When Soliman applied in July 2024, the requirements of providing a social security card or ITIN, proof of Colorado income tax, or printed documentation of Colorado residence were still applicable. Soliman was granted a work permit in 2023, according to DHS; however, they did not say how he obtained it. Asylum seekers become eligible for work authorization 180 days after arrival. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Soliman had tried to purchase a gun in November 2024 at Scheels in Colorado Springs. His application was processed through the CBI InstaCheck and was denied. 'He never appealed his denial,' CBI said. 'This denial was based on information from the NCIS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System). He would later be denied a Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) through the CBI and El Paso County Sheriff's Office on December 30, 2024.' Soliman is accused of committing an attack on a group of protesters who were demonstrating at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. According to an arrest affidavit, Soliman confessed to committing the attack. He is currently being held in Boulder County Jail on a $10 million cash bond only. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
38 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
DHS accuses Biden administration of politicizing TSA watchlist after senator's husband was removed
Advertisement The CBS report said that it was unclear why the person William Shaheen traveled with was placed on the terrorism list, and that the person was later removed by the FBI in 2023. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A spokesperson for Senator Shaheen did not identify her husband's travel companion and said that the senator was unaware that the person was labeled a known or suspected terrorist. 'Senator Shaheen contacted the Transportation Security Administration after her husband was subjected to several extensive, invasive and degrading searches at airport checkpoints,' the spokesperson said. 'Senator Shaheen sought to understand the nature and cause of these searches.' Following the October incident, DHS said, Senator Shaheen had a meeting with then-TSA administrator David Pekoske, who served in that role during the first Trump administration and the Biden administration. Advertisement Two days later, William Shaheen was exempted from the Quiet Skies watchlist program — which involves undercover federal air marshals monitoring domestic travelers who are not suspected of a crime or on any terrorist watch list — and all other enhanced TSA surveillance programs. A Globe investigation uncovered the Quiet Skies program in 2018. At the time, several federal air marshals expressed concern to the Globe about the ethics and legality of Quiet Skies, saying they had shadowed people who appeared to pose no real threat. In the news release, DHS — which oversees TSA — said Shaheen was not the only person exempted from the enhanced screening. 'Members of foreign royal families, political elites, professional athletes, and journalists' were also exempted, the agency said. Shaheen's special status has been revoked by the Trump administration, DHS said. The Shaheen spokesperson said the senator wasn't aware that her husband had been monitored as part of Quiet Skies, 'nor was she aware of any action' to remove him from the list after she spoke with Pekoske. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat turned Republican who now is the director of national intelligence, said last year that Advertisement Throughout his second term, the Trump administration has repeatedly retaliated against the president's perceived political enemies by launching investigations, revoking security clearances, and removing Secret Service protection. 'This program should have been about the equal application of security,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in Wednesday's news release, 'instead it was corrupted to be about political targeting. Trump Administration will restore the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans, including aviation screening.' Julian E.J. Sorapuru can be reached at
