Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected accusations that the Trump administration deported American-born children without due process, asserting that the minors voluntarily left the United States alongside their deported mothers.
The controversy stems from the cases of three children—ages 2, 4, and 7—who accompanied their undocumented mothers during their removal from the country. Among them was a 4-year-old battling stage 4 cancer, who reportedly left without access to necessary medical care or coordination with doctors.
Rubio emphasized that the mothers made the decision to bring their U.S. citizen children with them and stressed that these children are free to return to the United States if a legal guardian steps forward to care for them.
Critics argue that the expedited departures, without formal hearings or welfare considerations, raise serious constitutional concerns. Particular alarm was expressed in the case of a 2-year-old sent to Honduras despite objections from her American father, with a federal judge questioning whether proper legal protections were upheld.
The administration maintains that due process was not violated and that the departures were not forced deportations but rather decisions made by the parents. The situation has reignited debate over immigration enforcement practices and the treatment of U.S. citizen children in mixed-status families.