USA07 March, 20262 min read
ICE Deports Deaf Six-Year-Old Without Assistive Devices to Colombia
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
ICE detained and deported a six-year-old deaf boy and his family to Colombia Boy deported without his cochlear implant and other essential assistive devices
Family deported after ISAP
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained and deported a Hayward family — mother Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, her six‑year‑old deaf son and his five‑year‑old sibling — after a routine Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) check‑in at an office in San Francisco, according to multiple reports. The removal happened while the child, who uses a cochlear implant and communicates primarily in American Sign Language (ASL), was reportedly separated from his assistive devices.
“US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing heavy criticism after deporting a six-year-old deaf boy, his five-year-old brother and their mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, to Colombia following a routine check‑in at an ICE office in San Francisco.”
A relative waiting outside tried to hand the equipment over but authorities detained the family before the devices could be delivered. The accounts identify the boy as a student at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont and note he was home sick at the time.
Concerns over deaf child removal
Local and state education officials and advocates have urgently raised concerns about the child's loss of specialized services and communication access. California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and education advocates warned that removing a deaf child from their ASL instruction and school support could disrupt critical development and communication.
They called for the child's return. Advocates and legal groups framed the removal as a humanitarian issue because the child was taken without necessary assistive devices and support.
Removal procedural concerns
Civil-rights advocates and immigration attorneys said the case involved procedural opacity that hindered legal challenges. Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP) and attorney Nikolas (Niko) De Bremaeker / De Bremaeker (spelled Nikolas in some accounts) described the removal as a serious humanitarian concern. They said shifting or unclear information about detention locations - reports variously mentioning Louisiana or Phoenix - and a brief hold in Phoenix impeded efforts to contest the action in U.S. courts.
“Advocates from Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership (ACILEP) and immigration attorney Nikolas De Bremaeker called the removal a serious humanitarian concern, saying shifting information about detention locations (initially mentioning Louisiana or Phoenix) and a brief hold in Phoenix hindered legal efforts to challenge the deportation.”
Family removal and responses
State officials and community members have called on federal authorities to locate and return the family. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement characterizing the arrest. California leaders demanded action to bring the family back.
Thurmond called the removal "cruel". DHS said ICE arrested Gutierrez on March 3. DHS described her as an unlawful entrant who had previously been released into the U.S. under the Biden administration.
