"It is illegal and unconstitutional to deport, detain for deportation, or recommend deportation of a U.S. citizen," U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee, reminded the Trump administration in a Friday ruling. The Department of Homeland Security contended in a court hearing that the removal of American child is proper even though her father had sought an emergency petition on Thursday to stop the girl from being sent abroad.
"The parents made the decision to take the child with them to Honduras. It is common that parents want to be removed with their children," Tricia McLaughlin, DHS' assistant secretary for public affairs, said in a statement to NPR.
