HOUSTON – (WBAP/KLIF) A 23-year old mother, twin newborns and two additional children were taken crying from their American father when they showed up as ordered to what they believed was an immigration hearing near Houston. The father maintains the mother and children were refused warm clothing, had no money and no contacts when they were flown to McAllen, then escorted to the dangerous border city of Reynosa, Mexico and left there.
Federico Arrellano Jr. says his wife Christina missed an immigration hearing when she had emergency surgery to give birth; he maintains he called immigration officials and was told under the circumstances, another hearing would be scheduled. They received a call to show up for a meeting at the time they were arrested and taken out of the country.
Houston attorneys are now involved with the case, decrying the apparent handling of the mother, newborns and other children as if they were known and undesirable criminals. Immigration lawyer Isaias Torres is quoted as saying, “”This case shouldn’t have gone to this extreme. There were options, legal options, that were available and he was not given those opportunities,” Torres said. “They thought that they were complying and doing as they were told. And it turns out that they were not.”
Immigration attorneys warn they believe attempting to attend an immigration hearing in the United States without an attorney can lead to experiences such as this. Arrellano Jr. is working with attorneys in hopes of getting his family returned to him in the Houston area.
(Copyright, All Rights Reserved, WBAP/KLIF 2024)
