8-year-old Haitian boy placed in federal custody alone after ICE check-in, advocates say
Key Points:
- An 8-year-old Haitian boy in San Diego was taken into federal custody after attending an ICE appointment with his uncle, following the loss of his Temporary Protected Status earlier this year.
- The boy had been living with his uncle and cousins after his father was deported to Mexico, but ICE treated him as an unaccompanied minor due to the lack of legal guardianship documentation.
- ICE placed the child in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) citing safety concerns, though no abuse or wrongdoing by the uncle was alleged.
- Advocates argue the detention was unnecessary and criticized ICE for removing the child without proper procedures, emphasizing that the boy was well cared for by his family.
- The San Diego Unified School District expressed concern over children losing access to education due to immigration enforcement actions and urged that children remain in supportive educational environments.