The families of two Honduran women deported by the administration of former President Donald Trump — along with three American children, one of whom is battling cancer, and a Honduran girl — are facing a deeply traumatic situation, according to their lawyers and human rights activists.
In a new case highlighting the impact of Trump-era immigration policies, Honduran nationals Jenny López Villela and an unidentified woman were deported on Friday. López was deported with her two-year-old daughter, while the other woman was deported with her four- and seven-year-old sons, according to reports from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Immigration Project (NIP). All three children are American citizens.
López, who is pregnant, was also deported with her 11-year-old Honduran daughter. The younger of the two sons of the second woman has been diagnosed with cancer, according to the advocacy organizations.
A correspondent attempted to contact the families in Honduras. However, López’s attorney, Mich González, and Michelle Méndez, Legal Resources Director at the NIP, said in a phone call from the United States that the women have requested privacy as they endure the stress of their abrupt deportations and the separation from the children’s fathers.
“They are scared,” said González. “Both families are going through something very difficult and have expressed that they can’t believe this is happening to them. They are trying to figure out how to recover and what steps to take next.” Michelle Méndez called the situation “tragic,” emphasizing that the families have experienced “trauma and very difficult moments.”
The women were reportedly detained while attending routine immigration check-ins with officials in New Orleans, Louisiana. According to their attorneys, they were “tricked” into deportation by immigration agents. In response, Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s former border enforcement czar, told reporters at the White House on Monday that it was the mothers who “made the decision” and “requested” to take their children with them to Honduras.
“If you choose to have a U.S. citizen child knowing that you are in this country illegally, you put yourself in that position,” Homan said. In a related development, a federal judge in Louisiana announced a hearing scheduled for May 16 to investigate whether the government deported a U.S. citizen — López’s daughter — without due process. The case raises serious concerns over constitutional protections for American-born children during immigration enforcement actions.
The deportations come amid an ongoing legal battle surrounding a Trump administration decree, signed in January, aiming to abolish the constitutional principle of birthright citizenship in the United States. Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio García described the deportation as an “express repatriation” and reiterated an offer of support to the families made over the weekend by President Xiomara Castro, though he did not provide details about what assistance would be offered.
