A five-year-old American citizen was deported from Texas to Honduras by ICE agents after Austin police contacted federal authorities during a routine 911 response, raising alarming questions about how far immigration enforcement will go in separating families and removing U.S. citizens from their own country.
Story Overview
- Austin police discovered an ICE warrant during a 911 call response and contacted federal agents, leading to the arrest of a Honduran mother and her U.S. citizen daughter
- Both mother and child were deported to Honduras within six days without due process, legal representation, or judicial review
- The case represents a disturbing pattern where U.S. citizen children are being removed from America alongside undocumented parents
- Immigration enforcement has documented 32 deaths in ICE custody during 2025, the deadliest year since 2004
How a 911 Call Became a Deportation Order
Austin Police Department officers responded to an early morning 911 call on January 5, 2026, finding no disturbance or injured individuals at the scene. During their standard background check procedure, officers discovered an administrative ICE warrant for a Honduran mother present at the location. Rather than handling the situation independently, APD contacted federal immigration authorities, triggering a chain of events that would tear apart an American family.
The collaboration between local police and ICE represents a dangerous precedent where routine police work transforms into immigration raids. This partnership undermines the fundamental principle that local law enforcement should serve and protect all community members, not function as an extension of federal immigration enforcement.
Six Days From Arrest to Deportation
The timeline of this case reveals the shocking speed with which American citizens can be removed from their own country. ICE agents arrested both the mother and her five-year-old daughter immediately following the police contact. The family was detained in a San Antonio area hotel and instructed not to disclose their location, effectively disappearing from official tracking systems.
ICE deports 5-year-old US citizen from Texas to Honduras, group says https://t.co/AGoNa2Osmx via @mySA
— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (@yvonnewingett) January 18, 2026
On January 7, the mother managed one brief phone call to her brother, reporting that immigration officials were preparing to deport both her and her daughter. By January 11, she called relatives from Honduras to confirm that the deportation had been completed. Neither the mother nor child appeared in ICE’s online locator system during this period, preventing family members from arranging alternative custody or legal intervention.
The Broader Pattern of Constitutional Violations
This incident represents one case within a troubling escalation of immigration enforcement that began in June 2025. The Trace and ProPublica documented 16 incidents where immigration agents opened fire, 15 cases of agents holding people at gunpoint, and four deaths caused by immigration enforcement during this period. These statistics paint a picture of an enforcement regime operating with unprecedented aggression and minimal oversight.
Austin schools are already documenting the human cost of these policies. Teachers at Guerrero Thompson Elementary School report students becoming withdrawn, crying inconsolably, and arriving hungry after family breadwinners disappear into detention. The psychological trauma inflicted on children creates lasting damage that extends far beyond the immediate families involved.
Sources:
Children’s Defense Fund-Texas: Tell City Officials in Austin: Protect and Support Families!
