10-Year-Old Undocumented Child Is Now In ICE Custody Right After She Had Surgery
There’s a reason why undocumented immigrants are afraid to leave their homes or even go to the hospital
Photo: Unsplash/Nitish Meena
There’s a reason why undocumented immigrants are afraid to leave their homes or even go to the hospital. There’s a reason why undocumented immigrants will withstand any kind of pain to avoid leaving the safe space of their house or a church, and that’s because immigration officials have no mercy. If you think I am wrong, just ask Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old, undocumented child, and her family.
According to several news reports, Rosa Maria, who’s already suffering from cerebral palsy, was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance because she was in extreme pain. On the way there, the ambulance was stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Corpus Christie, Texas, at 2 a.m. just a couple of days ago. So it didn’t matter that the ambulance was in a hurry to get to the hospital. Immigration officials stopped them anyway and asked everyone inside for their paperwork.
Rosa Maria, who was apparently brought her to the U.S. from Mexico when she was just a baby, didn’t have her documents, CBS news reports.
The Guardian is reporting that while immigration officials let the ambulance go to the hospital, they still followed them another 80 miles until they got there. Rosa Maria’s mother Felipa Delacruz, who is also undocumented, told the Caller-Times that authorities waited outside the hospital for the surgery to be completed.
Needless to say this story has captured the nation, just look under the #SaveRosaMaria and you will see everyone that cares for her safety.
Blocking a child from seeking medical attention is dangerous. Make a call and demand Maria Rosa be returned safely to her parents. #Not1More pic.twitter.com/KAwaVsoUfs
— ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) October 25, 2017
“The situation with Rosamaria Hernandez is not uncommon in South Texas or along the Texas-Mexico border. What is uncommon, is the Border Patrol or Immigration Customs Enforcement taking such an interest in a case involving a 10-year-old girl requiring immediate medical attention,” Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen wrote in an email to the Caller-Times. “While there is no doubt that we are a country of laws that must be followed, we are also a country with compassion. We have situations where certain discretions must be allowed to protect the rights of a human being.”
