Washington DC [US], January 23 (ANI): Former US Vice President Kamala Harris strongly criticized the American Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a five-year-old child was taken to a detention center in Texas. In a post on X, Harris said the child should be at home with their family and “not used as bait by ICE and held in a Texas detention center.” She added, “I am outraged, and you should be too.”
Responding to Harris, Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said that ICE did not use the child as bait. In a post on X, she explained that the January 20 operation was aimed at arresting the child’s father, who had allegedly abandoned the child. ICE reportedly made several attempts to have the mother take custody, but she refused. McLaughlin said the father instructed officers that he wanted the child to remain with him.
“Our officers’ primary concern during the entire operation was the safety and welfare of the child. Following the mother’s abandonment, officers abided by the father’s wishes to keep the child with him, and even got the child McDonald’s and played his favorite music. Father and son are together at Dilley,” McLaughlin said.
She further explained that parents are asked if they wish to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person designated by the parent. “This is consistent with past administrations’ immigration enforcement. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 through the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app, migrants reserve the chance to return legally,” McLaughlin added.
According to CNN, citing Zena Stenvik, superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights, the pre-schooler was removed from the family’s car. The family, originally from Ecuador, had presented themselves to border officers in Texas in December 2024 to apply for asylum, according to their lawyer, Marc Prokosch. “These are not illegal aliens. They came properly. They came legally, and are pursuing a legal pathway,” Prokosch said during a press conference Thursday evening. (ANI)
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