New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez initiated legal action against the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department, alleging that agency staff transported a 15-year-old U.S. citizen to a Texas border crossing on July 6 and instructed him to walk across to Mexico alone to find his mother. The youth crossed into Mexico but was unable to locate his mother and returned to the United States through traffic. According to Torrez’s complaint, U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel requested that CYFD transport the child back to New Mexico, but staff allegedly refused and told border officials the youth was now a “Texas problem” before departing.
Following the border incident, the teenager was placed under the care of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The complaint states that Texas officials eventually returned the child to his mother in Mexico weeks later after their efforts to communicate with CYFD proved unsuccessful. Torrez characterized the incident as part of a pattern of neglect within New Mexico’s foster care system and called for efforts to repatriate the teenager. He also requested a temporary restraining order to prevent future reunifications involving the removal of children from the U.S. without court approval.
CYFD disputed the characterization of events, stating that the child’s mother had requested reunification and that staff conducted virtual home visits to assess safety. Agency officials noted that the child’s godparents had petitioned to end their informal guardianship, and that CYFD’s Office of Advocacy includes immigration specialists tasked with facilitating family reunifications in other countries. A legal expert cited by the article stated that New Mexico state law contains no prohibition against reuniting children with parents in other countries if conducted safely.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office noted that New Mexico and Texas authorities, along with a state judge, had independently concluded the child should remain with his mother. Officials questioned where the child would reside if returned to New Mexico and who would provide care. The case emerged amid broader scrutiny of the state’s child welfare system, including a 200-page report released in April detailing alleged systemic failures in the agency.
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