Child with Leukemia Detained by ICE Along with His Family

• Child with leukemia detained by ICE along with his family.
• Child with cancer at risk due to ICE detention.
• Family with legal status detained after hearing.

A six-year-old Honduran boy, diagnosed with leukemia, has been held along with his mother and nine-year-old sister at an immigration detention center in Texas since late May.

The family was arrested by federal immigration agents as they left a mandatory court hearing at the Van Nuys immigration court in Los Angeles.

Despite having entered the country legally while seeking asylum.

So reported EFE.

Child with leukemia detained by ICE along with his family

Six-year-old child with leukemia was arrested by ICE after attending a migration hearing in LA. https://t.co/n6SLXv5rfY

— Univision Nueva York (@univisionNY) June 28, 2025

The family, legally represented by organizations such as the Texas Civil Rights Project and the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia University, was detained just minutes after the judge granted the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) motion to dismiss their removal proceedings.

Ironically, this decision—which would normally allow a family to remain in the U.S. while resolving their immigration status—was used as a pretext for their immediate arrest.

“Arresting a family with a child suffering from leukemia right after a hearing where their case was dismissed is unconstitutional, illegal, and inhumane.”

So stated Elora Mukherjee, the family’s attorney.

A child at risk due to detention

ICE detained a six-year-old boy with leukemia: he could be deported to Honduras. https://t.co/zvtkDz7eiz

— Así Es Noticias (@AsiEsNoticiasVe) July 3, 2025

The child was diagnosed at age three with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was in the final stage of a two-and-a-half-year treatment regimen.

Since being transferred to the South Texas Family Residential Center, the mother reports that her son has lost his appetite, appears pale, and is experiencing bruising and bone pain—symptoms consistent with his illness.

Although DHS officials claim the child has received adequate medical care.

Experts like Dr. Pran Saha, a pediatrician at Columbia University, warned that interrupting his chemotherapy and radiation treatments could drastically reduce his chances of survival.

A more aggressive detention policy

The arrest occurred days after ICE issued a memorandum lifting previous restrictions on arrests inside courthouses.

Under the Trump Administration, these operations in courthouses have increased, prompting complaints from organizations like the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which accuses coordination between immigration judges and DHS prosecutors to enable immediate arrests following hearings.

The family, who had been living legally in the Los Angeles area, entered the U.S. through the regular process using the CBP One app, originally created for asylum appointments at the border.

Now, they face potential deportation to Honduras, a country they fled due to threats.

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