A NYC Criminal Lawyer learned that a four-year old U.S. citizen was deported to Guatemala by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The little girl was returning to Long Island with her grandfather from visiting relatives in Guatemala when their flight was diverted to Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport for an unknown reason. While her grandfather did have, a valid work visa that allowed him to travel, customs officials noticed that the man had a prior illegal entry attempt that occurred in the 1990s. They immediately took him into custody.
It was at this point that it is believed that her grandfather went into a panic attack, and was taken to the hospital. All the while, the four-year old girl was detained for nearly a day at the airport without her parents having any knowledge as to either her or her grandfather’s whereabouts. They were still waiting for their flight to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), sources reported. By the time that her father realized what was going on, he contacted a border patrol agent and was advised of his limited choices. He was told that either he could allow the four-year old child to be detained in a juvenile facility in Virginia, or she and her grandfather could return to Guatemala. He opted for the later, as he feared that authorities would put her up for adoption.
Sources revealed to New York Criminal Lawyers that Customs and Border Protection officials had little comment on this matter, only to say that the parents are afforded the options of whether to pick up the child, allow the child to be turned over to a juvenile facility, or to return to the country they had just arrived. They further added that since the four-year old girl’s parents are undocumented that if they are caught that there are consequences to their actions and they will be detained. This is not considered to be Fraud and would not be deemed as fraud in The Bronx or Queens.
Regardless of anyone’s stance on immigration, legal or not, the fact that the child was born in the United States makes her an American citizen and there are many who are asking the question of how could an American citizen have been deported.
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