“We will continue to work to ensure that Rosa Maria is able to heal in peace, and that other children are not subjected to the same trauma,” the ACLU vowed
By Jake Johnson, staff writer for CommonDreams. Published 11-4-2017
“Rosa Maria is finally free. We are thrilled that she can now recover, surrounded by her family’s love and support,” said the ACLU on Twitter. (Photo: The Independent/courtesty of family)
Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old undocumented immigrant with cerebral palsy who was detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents last week, was finally released from federal custody on Friday after 11 days of separation from her family.
“We’re just thrilled—it’s such a relief,” Michael Tan, a staff attorney at the ACLU, told the New York Times. “It’s actually quite overwhelming. This was the first time in her life she was separated from her family.”
As Common Dreams reported, Hernandez was being transported to the hospital for emergency gall bladder surgery when her immigration status was discovered at a border patrol checkpoint. Immigration officials proceeded to follow the ambulance to the hospital and detain Hernandez after the surgery was completed.
According to the Times, Hernandez’s parents brought her to the U.S. from Mexico to “seeking better access to medical treatment for her cerebral palsy.”
The government’s detention of Hernandez immediately sparked national outrage and legal challenges. Though Hernandez is now with her family in Laredo, Texas, “she still faces the possibility of deportation,” the Times notes.
The ACLU, which filed suit against the Trump administration earlier this week, reacted to Hernandez’s release on Twitter:
BREAKING: Rosa Maria is finally free. We are thrilled that she can now recover, surrounded by her family’s love and support.
— ACLU (@ACLU) November 3, 2017
Border Patrol’s decision to target Rosa Maria remains unconscionable.
— ACLU (@ACLU) November 3, 2017
We will continue to work to ensure that Rosa Maria is able to heal in peace, and that other children are not subjected to the same trauma.
— ACLU (@ACLU) November 3, 2017
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