A 10-year-old undocumented girl with Cerebral Palsy, who has lived in the United States since she was 3 months old, faces deportation. The girl underwent an emergency Gall Bladder surgery, which was carried out on Wednesday, October 25. Right after the completion of the surgery, Rosamaria Hernandez was placed for deportation proceedings and shifted to a detention center in Texas. According to the girl’s mother, Felipa Delacruz, her daughter was detained at an immigration checkpoint while they were being taken to Corpus Christi for an emergency gallbladder surgery on Tuesday, October 24.

The ambulance, which was carrying Hernandez, was stopped by officials from US Customs and Border Protection, who allowed the 10-year-old to pass through with her cousin, a U.S. citizen. However, agents followed the ambulance all the way to the Driscoll Children’s Hospital to make sure that she will be deported after the surgery is completed. Delacruz stated that the Border patrol agents stood outside her daughter’s hospital room the entire time she was lodged there.

Rosamaria gets placed in state custody

Rosamaria was released from the Driscoll Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, October 25. However, she cannot return to her parents according to the state laws. Instead of sending her back to her mother, she was placed in state custody after being shifted from Corpus Christi to San Antonio.

Priscila Martinez from the Workers Defense Action Fund, who is acting as a bridge between the girl’s family and the attorney, stated that the officials will treat the case in the same manner as other children who are not accompanied by their parents, and are detained.

Rosamaria, however, was living with her mother in Laredo, Texas, since she was three months old.

In a press statement released by the US Customs and Border Protection, officials said that their agents accompanied the child and her cousin to the hospital in Corpus Christi for her Emergency Surgery. The agency also revealed that the Laredo Sector Border Patrol followed the immigration laws of the state. It will start the deportation process as soon as she is given medical clearance from the doctors.

Border patrol not following doctor’s directives, says attorney

According to Leticia Gonzalez, a San Antonio-based associate also involved in the case, the medical summary of the 10-year-old clearly outlines that she will have to visit her primary care doctor for follow ups. The doctor is based in Laredo and she needs to visit him at least three days a week. It also states that given her medical condition, psychological needs, and requirements, it would be best for the child if she stays her family’s care and not that of strangers.
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