HOUSTON — A husband and a father is fighting to get his family back together after his wife and four children were recently deported to Mexico.
Federico Arellano Jr.'s attorneys are working to get lawmakers involved in the reunification process.
Arellano's biggest concern is his newborn twin girls.
"Yo quiero a mi familia. Estoy solo," he said.
He was left to be on his own when his loved ones were taken into custody in front of his eyes earlier this month.
They were arrested and removed from the United States because they missed an immigration court hearing. Arrellano, who is a US citizen, said he asked to reschedule the court appearance because his wife, a non-citizen, had an emergency C-section to give birth to premature twins in Houston.
Last week, though, they were called to meet with immigration authorities in the Greenspoint area, but when they got there, ICE agents arrested Christina Salazar, 23, as well as her four children -- including the twins born in September. They were all put on a plane to McAllen and then escorted to Reynosa, Mexico.
Silvia Mintz, one of the attorneys now representing the family, said it was a technical violation and there were several legal options available. Instead, they were deported without having a chance to fight it.
"This family is going through extremely challenging times at this moment. Because their babies are US citizens, they deserve to be here and get the attention they need -- the medical attention they need," Mintz said.
They are not the first family to go through something like this.
"These cases can be very complicated, even when they appear to be very simple," Rep. Al Green said.
Arellano lives in Green's district. The family's attorneys are working to get him on board to help them be reunited.
"I would hope that this could be resolved in a short period of time and have these family members back together -- and the babies need the parents," Green said.
Green advised people to seek legal advice when dealing with an immigration case.
Mintz said, unfortunately, there are a lot of people who try to do it on their own.
"Many people need to have access to the legal system and need quality representation, and they don't have the means to do it," Mintz said.
One wrong move could lead to serious consequences.
Mother speaks from Mexico
With tears in her eyes, Salazar relives the moment she and her four children were deported to Mexico. She says it all happened in the blink of an eye.
"No pudo cargar a las niñas ni nada por que no nos dejaron," she said.
She said her husband wasn’t even allowed to carry his newborn baby girls to say goodbye.
"Yo no traía nada no tenia leche no tenia panales no tenia nada," Salazar said.
She said she was caught off guard and she didn’t have enough milk for the trip or even enough diapers for her newborn girls.
"Me lo arrebataron de las manos yo no tiraba en las manos queiiendo llamar a mi familiar," she said.
Salazar said agents ripped her cell phone from her hands and wouldn’t let her call family for help. Instead, they flew her and her children to McAllen.
"Como si hubiara cometido un delito muy grante tres agentes mujeres dos hombres en el mismo 4," she said.
She felt like she was being treated like a criminal.
Salazar said she was placed in a room with three female agents, two male agents, and her four children. Then they were taken across the border to Reynosa, where she was left to fend for herself. After more than 23 hours, she was able to call her family and make the journey back to her hometown.
"Lo que mas me duele mis hijos están enfermos," she said.
She said her kids are all sick and she worries for their wellbeing.
Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project
6001 Savoy Drive, Suite 400
Houston, TX 77036
Tel: (713) 561-3059
info@ghirp.org
www.ghirp.org
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
5599 San Felipe, Suite 300
Houston, TX 77056
Tel: (713) 595-4100
Fax: (713) 595-4198
ucreferrals@catholiccharities.org
www.catholiccharities.org
YMCA International Services
3110 Hayes Road, Ste.
Houston, TX 77082
Tel: (713) 758-9280
Fax: (281) 888-9651
ymcahouston.org/locations/ymca-international-services/programs
RAICES Texas
1900 Saint James Pl., Suite 450
Houston, TX 77056
Tel: (832) 699-6942
Fax: (832) 669-6942
www.raicestexas.org