A 6-year-old boy from Honduras, who is battling leukemia, has been reunited with family in Los Angeles after he, his mother, and sister were held in immigration detention for over a month—drawing sharp criticism and public outcry. The family had been detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas following their arrest on May 29 outside a Los Angeles courtroom after an asylum hearing.
Their release on Wednesday followed a federal lawsuit filed on their behalf by attorneys from Columbia Law School and the Texas Civil Rights Project in San Antonio.
“We were preparing a legal brief explaining why the detention was unlawful when we found out ICE had released them,” said Elora Mukherjee, director of Columbia’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, in a statement to NBC News. “There was no court order — ICE acted under public pressure.”
Transferred, Then Flown to Los Angeles
ICE reportedly transferred the family from the detention center to a South Texas shelter before flying them to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where they were reunited with relatives.
Mukherjee emphasized that widespread media coverage and public outrage played a vital role in securing the release. Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, echoed that sentiment in a Facebook post.
“This shows what we can accomplish when we fight back against cruel and un-American policies,” she wrote. “Courthouse arrests are a clear violation of due process and show blatant disregard for people trying to follow legal pathways to safety.”
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to questions about whether it still plans to deport the family.
Lawsuit Against ICE: “They Arrested Them in the Hallway”
According to attorneys, the mother was told to bring her children to court on May 29, as they were not enrolled in school at the time. After a judge denied the family’s asylum claim, ICE agents arrested them immediately upon exiting the courtroom.
“They were arrested in the hallway. The children were terrified and in tears,” said Gibson Kumar.
Court documents revealed that the child, identified only as N.M.Z., missed a crucial medical appointment for his cancer treatment while in custody. He was diagnosed at age 3 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a fast-progressing but highly treatable form of childhood cancer.
Mukherjee noted that when she met with the boy in detention, he showed troubling symptoms—bruising, loss of appetite, and occasional bone pain—consistent with his condition.
DHS has denied any wrongdoing, stating the child received multiple medical evaluations while in custody. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), a DHS spokesperson dismissed reports of neglect as “fake news,” adding, “ICE always prioritizes the health and safety of all detainees.”
Legally Entered U.S., Fled Death Threats
The family legally entered the U.S. on October 26, 2023, using the now-defunct CBP One mobile app and were granted parole. They fled Honduras after receiving credible death threats and were not considered a flight risk by authorities. No electronic monitoring was required.
The family had settled in Los Angeles, where the children attended public school, learned English, and regularly went to church. But a change in asylum policy under President Donald Trump’s second term has made it easier for ICE to quickly deport migrants who have lived in the U.S. for less than two years.
After their asylum case was denied, ICE agents were already waiting outside the courtroom to detain the family—sparking the chain of events that led to the controversial detention and eventual release.
Now back in Los Angeles, the boy can resume treatment while his legal team prepares for the next phase of the family’s fight to remain in the U.S.
