An eight-year-old Haitian boy detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego on 4 November is currently unaccounted for, according to Democratic congressman Juan Vargas. Video footage obtained by NBC News documented the child being led away by three armed federal officials after his family brought him to what they understood to be a routine immigration appointment. Vargas characterized the detention as “despicable” and “inhumane,” stating he was working to locate the child and facilitate his reunification with relatives.
The boy, a third-grade student at a San Diego elementary school, had been living with his uncle and cousins after his father was deported the previous year, according to the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an immigration advocacy organization. The uncle accompanied the child to the appointment, after which the boy was transferred to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), an agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the group’s executive director, Guerline Jozef.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended the agency’s actions, stating that ICE took the child into custody “out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the child’s safety.” The statement noted that the uncle was unable to provide documentation of legal guardianship and that federal anti-trafficking laws required officials to assume custody of an “unaccompanied alien child.” The agency also stated that the boy lacked legal immigration status and had been brought to the United States by his father, who was subsequently deported to Mexico by Customs and Border Protection.
Local education officials and community advocates expressed concern about the detention. The San Diego Unified School District’s board and superintendent, along with trustee Cody Petterson, communicated their concerns to ICE and questioned the appropriateness of the child’s placement. Jozef characterized the broader situation facing the Haitian community as dire, linking the detention to the Trump administration’s decision to revoke temporary protected status (TPS) safeguards for Haitian nationals in the United States.
During an interview aired on Sunday, President Donald Trump acknowledged that his administration’s mass deportation policy had been “too tough” for many people and had contributed to recent Republican electoral losses in 3 November midterm elections. Trump indicated he was considering a softer approach to immigration enforcement for the remainder of his presidency.
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