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A federal judge has ordered the return to Florida of 12-year-old US citizen twin sisters, born in Orlando in 2013, who were deported to Guatemala after being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Newsweek reported, citing court documents.
The filing revealed that an ICE officer ordered them to the entrance of the facility, where the children were taken into custody under the so-called “family unity” policy.
The grandmother filed a petition on behalf of the children, alleging that ICE was unlawfully detaining them.
The twin sisters were waiting with their grandmother in a parking lot at an ICE facility while their mother attended an immigration appointment in Orlando on March 9, according to court documents. The children’s grandmother’s name is Sonia Garcia Valles, and the mother’s name is Marly Carolina Morataya Zepeda.
The twin sisters were removed from the United States on a flight departing from Orlando after authorities detained them at an ICE facility.
According to Newsweek, the case was heard in the Middle District Court of Florida, where U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell granted a writ of habeas corpus and ordered federal authorities to immediately and safely return the twins from Guatemala City to Orlando International Airport. The district judge also said they would pay for their flight, which would include unaccompanied minor services.
Judge Presnell ordered the twins to be reunited with their designated caregivers upon their arrival and to return their passports and other personal property. The judge also ordered federal officials to be barred from re-arresting or detaining the twins.
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