HOUSTON — On Monday, Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year old girl with cerebral palsy, had to go through a Border Patrol interior checkpoint to get to a Corpus Christi hospital for gall bladder surgery. Border Patrol then sent multiple vehicles to follow her to the hospital, and stayed outside of her room until she was discharged. Border Patrol failed to return her to her parents in Laredo, and instead transferred her to the Office of Refugee Resettlement which usually takes weeks to process children.
The following quote can be attributed to Astrid Dominguez, ACLU of Texas immigrants’ rights policy strategist:
“Rosa Maria shouldn’t spend one more day away from her parents. We are outraged that the Trump administration and Border Patrol would go after a child like Rosa Maria. It speaks to this administration’s lack of empathy and to Border Patrol’s dragnet aimed at the most vulnerable in our immigrant communities. Currently, Rosa Maria is in a shelter alone without her parents and we demand her prompt and expedited release. Border Patrol also needs to immediately address and change their policies regarding checkpoints and for those seeking medical attention.”
