Latina Mother of Newborn Twins Deported Despite Medical Emergency

Immigration officials have deported Cristina Geraldyn Salazar-Hinojosa, a 23-year-old mother of newborn U.S.-citizen twins, after she missed an immigration hearing while recovering from an emergency C-section. The case has ignited debate about the intersection of immigration enforcement and family separation. 

According to NBC Latino, Salazar-Hinojosa entered the United States without official documents on June 28 through the Rio Grande Valley, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She was released the following day under the Alternatives to Detention program, pending her immigration proceedings. When she failed to appear for her scheduled hearing on October 9, a judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered her removal. 

As reported by NBC Latino, an ICE spokesperson stated, “ICE does not deport U.S. citizens. Any decision for minors with U.S. citizenship to depart the U.S. with their parents is up to the parents.” Salazar-Hinojosa’s husband, Federico Arellano, a U.S. citizen, and her attorney contend that the missed hearing was unavoidable due to her recovery from childbirth.  

When the family was later instructed to report to a Houston-area location to discuss the case, Salazar-Hinojosa and her children were arrested, Torres told KHOU. Attempts by Arellano to intervene were reportedly rebuffed by ICE agents. 

ICE has faced scrutiny in recent years for its handling of cases involving U.S.-citizen children. A 2021 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that between 2015 and 2020, ICE arrested 674 individuals, detained 121, and deported 70 people potentially identified as U.S. citizens, citing insufficient record-keeping practices. 

Salazar-Hinojosa’s deportation comes as President Joe Biden’s administration faces bipartisan criticism on immigration policy. While Republicans have accused Biden of maintaining an open-border stance, the Migration Policy Institute reported that deportations under Biden are on track to surpass those during Donald Trump’s first term. 

Trump, who campaigned in 2016 on promises of a sweeping deportation agenda, recently renewed his call to end birthright citizenship. Constitutional protections currently guarantee U.S. citizenship to all individuals born in the United States, except for children of certain foreign diplomats. 

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