ICE Takes 8-Year-Old Haitian Boy Into Federal Custody
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took an 8-year-old Haitian boy into custody in San Diego after his uncle failed to prove legal guardianship.
Federal agents took an 8-year-old Haitian boy into custody in San Diego during an immigration check-in appointment in early November. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated the child was transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement as an unaccompanied minor because the man accompanying him, claiming to be his uncle, could not establish legal guardianship.
The incident follows a June Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Haitians. The boy's father was previously deported to Mexico by Customs and Border Protection last year. While the government maintains the action was taken for the child's safety, school officials alleged the boy was stopped by agents while walking to school and suffered injuries during the encounter.
San Diego Unified School District leaders and San Diego County Superintendent Fabi Bagula condemned the move, with Bagula demanding policy changes to ensure children in government custody remain near their schools. Congressman Juan Vargas and the Haitian Bridge Alliance have criticized the action as inhumane and reported uncertainty regarding the child's exact location, though some suspect he is being held in Los Angeles. The Department of Homeland Security has denied allegations that the child was placed in detention, calling such claims a smear against law enforcement.
