U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported a mother and her four children, including newborn twins, from Texas to Reynosa, Mexico, earlier this month. Christina Salazar, 23, was born in Mexico and married Federico Arellano Jr., a U.S. citizen, in 2019. Authorities took Salazar and her children into custody on Dec. 11.
Arellano said he is fighting to bring his family back to the United States.
“We’re doing everything we can to get them back,” he told KHOU 11 News in Houston.
Salazar and two of her older children were awaiting immigration hearings when she missed a scheduled appearance just weeks after undergoing an emergency cesarean section to deliver her twins.
Arellano said the family informed the immigration court that Salazar was recovering from surgery and requested rescheduling the hearing.
Shortly after, immigration authorities called the family and asked them to meet at a designated location to discuss the case. Authorities arrested Salazar and her four children when they arrived.
The twins, who were born in the U.S., are U.S. citizens.
The family’s attorney, Isaias Torres, said the family did not have legal representation during the meeting, which ultimately led to the arrest.
“This case shouldn’t have gone to this extreme,” Torres said. “There were options, legal options, that were available, and they were not given those opportunities.”
The family’s attorney said they are filing a complaint with the inspector general and are exploring legal avenues to bring Salazar and her children back to the U.S.
