An eight-year-old Haitian boy was taken into federal custody at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in San Diego, California, after his uncle brought him to a scheduled immigration check-in, EL PAÍS reported.
The district stated that the uncle accompanied the child simply because he did not want the minor to break any laws.
Consequently, authorities classified the minor as an unaccompanied alien child after determining he was not part of any family units he had been living with and after the uncle could not prove legal guardianship under the requirements of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
20minutos.es reported that school district officials countered this claim by noting the uncle was listed in school records as an authorized caregiver. The federal agency asserted that the father was previously removed to Mexico by Customs and Border Protection, though officials did not provide further details regarding the father’s custody status.
The San Diego Unified School District detailed the situation in a web-published letter addressed to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance referred to affected children as “the orphans of deportation” because parents detained by ICE are often removed without being permitted to transfer legal custody to authorized guardians.
Guerline Jozef, executive director of the organization, condemned the enforcement actions in EL PAÍS, stating: This is not protecting children. This is state-inflicted trauma disguised as immigration enforcement.
The school district noted in its letter that the action left the uncle in deep distress and the child without the support of his family, community, and school.
The school district reported that the child was among approximately 350,000 Haitians who lost their Temporary Protected Status in August following a decision by President Donald Trump’s administration not to extend the designation.
In EL PAÍS, the district criticized the outcome: Children who should be attending school and participating in a supportive educational environment find themselves instead in government facilities far from their schools, their teachers, their peers, and their support networks.
School administrators and immigrant advocacy groups have urged federal authorities to prioritize housing decisions that keep children near their schools and communities. The San Diego district requested advance coordination before any child is relocated and asked that protocols be established to preserve students’ access to education.
20minutos.es noted that the eight-year-old remains in federal custody while proceedings continue, with no specific timeline provided by immigration authorities for his potential reunification with family members.