ICE Deports Deaf 6-Year-Old to Colombia, Leaves Boy Without Hearing Aids

A Colombian asylum-seeking family — mother Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and her two young children — were detained by ICE during a routine check‑in and deported to Colombia.

“State Superintendent Tony Thurmond says the boy does not have his hearing aids with him SAN FRANCISCO -- California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond is demanding the immediate return of a deaf student and his family who were deported to Colombia this week”

ABC

The case drew widespread criticism because the 6-year-old boy is deaf and was sent back without his assistive hearing devices.

ABC

FOX40 reported, "A 6-year-old deaf California boy and his 5-year-old sibling were deported to Colombia this week along with their mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, an immigration attorney told KRON4."

KTVU noted the boy "was sent back to Colombia without the assistive hearing devices he needs."

ABC said the family "were sent back to Colombia March 5 … the 6-year-old … was deported without his hearing aids."

Reporting describes confusion about when and where the family was held, which attorneys say hindered emergency legal filings and appeals.

KTVU quotes attorney Erik De Bremaeker saying authorities gave conflicting information about where the family was being held — he was told Louisiana, then Washington, and later learned they’d been in Phoenix — which prevented timely emergency legal filings and that he is preparing emergency appeals.

FOX40

FOX40 said the family were detained by ICE at the agency’s ISAP office in San Francisco and were later deported from an Arizona detention center.

ABC reports the family were sent back to Colombia March 5 after Gutierrez says they were taken March 3.

These accounts contradict each other on timelines and locations, indicating disputed details that complicated legal responses.

Attorneys and advocates raised procedural and humanitarian concerns, saying the mother had no criminal record and complied with supervision.

“Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and her family were detained and deported, a move that has drawn criticism because her older son — a severely hearing‑impaired 6‑year‑old who attends the California School for the Deaf in Fremont — was sent away without the assistive hearing devices he needs”

KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco

They said she was not given proper notice or access to counsel and that lawyers were initially unable to locate the family.

FOX40 reported attorney Niko De Bremaeker said the mother "had no criminal record, had complied with ISAP supervision conditions, and was not given proper notice or access to counsel; attorneys were unable to locate the family for two days."

KTVU described ongoing emergency appeals being prepared by counsel.

ABC relayed that DHS said Gutierrez "received a final removal order in November 2024" and that she "chose to be removed with her children."

The DHS statement represents an official account that differs from the advocates' characterization, creating a direct contradiction between the sources.

State education officials and the California School for the Deaf have joined advocates in demanding action to return the child and protect his education and communication access.

FOX40 said California Superintendent Tony Thurmond called the deportation 'deeply disturbed' and plans a news conference to demand DHS help find and return the child, saying the removal was inhumane and deprived the boy of the ability to communicate.

ABC

KTVU noted that educators and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond have written letters urging the child’s return, warning that interruption to his education and lack of communication access will harm his development.

ABC reported Thurmond urged new Homeland Security nominee Sen. Markwayne Mullin to contact President Trump to locate and return the family.

Reporting highlights contested or unclear aspects of the case, including the family’s arrival timeline and a claim of domestic abuse that could affect asylum considerations.

“State Superintendent Tony Thurmond says the boy does not have his hearing aids with him SAN FRANCISCO -- California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond is demanding the immediate return of a deaf student and his family who were deported to Colombia this week”

ABC

FOX40 describes them as 'asylum seekers who arrived from Colombia four years ago', while KTVU and ABC record ICE/DHS statements that Gutierrez 'illegally entered in 2022' and that she 'received a final removal order in November 2024', presenting inconsistent timelines across sources and official statements.

FOX40

KTVU additionally reports that 'De Bremaeker also said Gutierrez has alleged domestic abuse and that both that claim and the child’s disability would ordinarily be factored into an asylum case.'

These differences between the accounts and the government’s explanation versus advocates’ claims are noted in the reporting and remain unresolved in the available articles.