New Mexico AG sues over teen told to cross into Mexico alone

Torrez said the boy remains in Mexico with his mother despite multiple attempts to reenter the US - (Jon Austria/The Albuquerque Jour)

New Mexico's foster care system is facing legal action after allegedly compelling a 15-year-old American citizen to walk across the border into Mexico alone to reunite with his estranged mother.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a civil lawsuit against the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), demanding the child's return and seeking to block similar future reunifications without court approval. The complaint states staff drove the minor to El Paso, Texas, on July 6, instructing him to cross the border bridge alone to find his mother, a Mexican national deported earlier this year on drug charges.