A Texas man is fighting to reunite his family after his wife and four children, including newborn twins who are U.S. citizens, were deported to Mexico by ICE.
On October 9, Christina Salazar, 23, missed her immigration court hearing while she was recovering from an emergency cesarean section after delivering twins premature at a hospital in Houston, according to KHOU.
Despite notifying the court and being told the hearing would be rescheduled, on December 11 Salazar and her children—the twins and two other children—were arrested at an ICE meeting in Houston.
They were deported to Reynosa, Mexico, where the family was left stranded without resources. Salazar, originally from Mexico, had been navigating the immigration process alongside her U.S.-citizen husband, Federico Arellano Jr.
"[The police] snatched [my cell phone] from my hands when I tried to call my family member," Christina told KHOU in Spanish.
Christina said she felt like she was being treated like "someone who had committed a very serious crime."
Arellano Jr. is advocating for his family's return to the United States, particularly for his newborn twins, who are entitled to stay under U.S. citizenship law.
The family's lawyers argue that legal options for resolving Salazar's case were available but not pursued by ICE, labeling the deportation an extreme and unnecessary measure.
Immigration attorneys representing the family are pushing to involve lawmakers like Rep. Al Green to expedite the family's reunification.
"What hurts me the most is that my children are sick," Christina said.
Arellano Jr. continues to fight to ensure his twins receive the medical care they need in the U.S.
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