‘Cried Every Night’: 6-Year-Old Cancer Patient Detained Nearly Two Months by ICE

A 6-year-old Honduran boy battling leukemia spent nearly two months in ICE detention under the Trump administration — despite his family following every legal immigration step, according to his attorney.

The family was detained in May by plainclothes ICE agents after attending a scheduled court hearing. The arrest occurred despite their lawful asylum process and scheduled CBP appointment, attorney Elora Mukherjee told Salon.

“The boy and his 9-year-old sister cried every night in detention,” Mukherjee said, describing the trauma they experienced while held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas — a facility the Biden administration had previously closed, but reopened under Trump.

Mukherjee condemned the administration’s strategy of detaining law-abiding asylum seekers at courthouses and check-ins. “It violates our Constitution, it violates our federal laws, and it violates our sense of morality,” she said.

The family had fled Honduras after receiving death threats, applied for asylum legally, and entered the U.S. with permission. “This family did everything right,” Mukherjee emphasized.

While in custody, the young boy exhibited worsening leukemia symptoms — including bone pain and easy bruising — and missed a critical June 5 oncology appointment. His sister, traumatized by the conditions, struggled to eat.

Jeff Migliozzi of Freedom for Immigrants criticized Trump’s 3,000 daily immigration arrest quota, a policy influenced by former White House adviser Stephen Miller, calling it a cruel system that targets compliant migrants.

“These bait-and-switch tactics,” Migliozzi said, “target people who are following all the rules, only to be blindsided and detained.”

Following public outcry and media attention, the family was released on July 2. But Mukherjee insists the damage was done — and constitutional rights were violated. “This clearly violates both the Fourth Amendment and the Fifth Amendment,” she said.

Homeland Security officials continue to claim that enforcement efforts target dangerous individuals. But as Mukherjee concluded: “These are the people who are doing everything right.”

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