SAN FRANCISCO, California — California officials are calling for the return of a six-year-old deaf child who was deported to Colombia with his mother and sibling after they were detained during a routine immigration check-in.
Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and her two young sons were arrested Tuesday while reporting to a San Francisco office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s supervision program. The family was later transferred to a detention center in Phoenix and deported to Colombia.
Advocates say the six-year-old, who uses a cochlear implant and communicates primarily through American Sign Language, was deported without access to assistive devices or specialized support services.
California Superintendent Tony Thurmond condemned the deportation, calling it “inhumane,” and urged federal officials to return the child to his school community. Educators say the student relies on a specialized learning environment where ASL is the primary language of instruction.
Immigration attorneys argue the family had humanitarian grounds to remain in the United States while an asylum appeal was pending. They also say confusion over the family’s location during detention prevented lawyers from filing court challenges before the deportation occurred.
Sources
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