ACLU Drops Lawsuit Alleging ICE Deported U.S. Citizen Child

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has dropped its lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that alleged the unlawful deportation of a U.S. citizen child alongside her mother to Honduras. DHS and ICE stated that the child's mother, Jenny Carolina Lopez-Villela, who entered the U.S. illegally multiple times, voluntarily chose to take her two-year-old U.S.-born daughter with her when she was removed from the country. A handwritten note from Lopez-Villela to ICE confirmed her decision to bring her child with her, contradicting claims that DHS deported the child without due process. Judge Terry Doughty, initially suspicious of the government's actions, had scheduled a hearing but the case was dismissed after the government provided evidence supporting the mother's choice. DHS emphasized that the narrative of deporting American children is false and irresponsible, highlighting their commitment to child safety and parental control during removals. The dismissal undermines previous accusations from immigration activists and the ACLU, who had used the case to criticize the Trump administration's immigration policies.