NEWS

Sen. Casey's attempt to stop deportation fails

Joel Shannon
jshannon@ydr.com

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story named the woman. YDR.com will not name her at the request of her attorneys out of concern for her safety.

Sen. Bob Casey mounted a campaign Wednesday to stop the deportation of a mother and her 5-year-old daughter to Honduras, where he says they will be targeted by gangs.

The Department of Homeland Security reported Thursday that his campaign was unsuccessful and the woman has been deported. Because of privacy laws, DHS spokesperson David Lapan was unable to provide information in regards to Casey's claims about the minor.

On Wednesday, Casey tweeted a stream of information about the situation and made an appearance on MSNBC. According to tweets, the deportation was in progress on Wednesday afternoon.

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U.S. Sen. Bob Casey was in York for a press conference with Mayor Kim Bracey and Police Chief Wes Kahley for a press conference in support of funding for federal law enforcement grant programs that have benefited York and other municipalities.

"This 5yr old and his mother aren't 'bad hombres.' They aren't in a gang, they're running from death - vulnerable and scared ... The child is potentially eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status," Casey tweeted.

Casey also claimed that the Department of Homeland Security was aware the mother and child had "had secured paperwork to protect them" and had rushed removal to prevent the protection.

Lapan, deputy assistant secretary for media operations/press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, told ydr.com by email that FMH was detained on Dec. 18, 2015, one day after unlawfully entering the United States. She was removed on Wednesday "after having exhausted all legal remedies available to her."

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Those "legal remedies" ran the whole way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which unanimously denied FMH's petition after her case was heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Lapan said FMH was removed without incident and that ICE officials have been in direct contact with Casey's office, providing information as it became available.

Casey said Wednesday that DHS contacts informed him that only the Trump administration could stop the deportation on Wednesday afternoon.