A 9-year-old boy in California was detained by federal immigration agents at an immigration hearing.
Martir Garcia Lara, a fourth-grader at Torrance Elementary School, was taken into custody along with his father on May 29 after reporting to federal authorities in downtown Los Angeles. They were transferred the next day to an immigration facility in Texas, where they are currently held pending deportation to Honduras.
A spokesperson for ICE told Newsweek they remain in federal custody pending deportation to Honduras.
Why It Matters
The arrest comes amid a hardline crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump’s administration, which has vowed to deport millions of migrants without legal status. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has maintained under the second Trump administration that ICE does not arrest children.
What To Know
“Martir Garcia-Banegas, 50, illegally entered the United States July 10, 2021 with a family member, Martir Isaac Garcia Lara, 9,” a spokesperson for ICE told Newsweek.
On September 1, 2022, an immigration judge issued an order for the family to be removed to Honduras. Garcia appealed this decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals; however, the appeal was dismissed on August 11, 2023, according to ICE.
After being detained by officials in Los Angeles, the father and son were transferred to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas.
The administration has taken an estimated 500 children into government custody since Trump returned to power, according to CNN.
Courthouses nationwide have recently become focal points in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Federal agents have been stationed to arrest individuals immediately after they appear before immigration judges. Many of these individuals have been in the U.S. for less than two years, and attorneys from the Department of Homeland Security often request that their deportation cases be dismissed.
When a judge approves such a request, immigrants leaving the courtroom are sometimes taken into custody by plainclothes federal agents for expedited removal.
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for ICE told Newsweek: “Parents, who are here illegally, can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right, legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
A spokesperson with Torrance Unified School District said in a statement: “It is our responsibility as a District to support the families of every student and connect them to resources and assistance for their continued education and healthy wellbeing, if, and when, a family requests it.”
What Happens Next
Martir and his father will remain detained at a facility in southern Texas pending removal.
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