A senior Homeland Security official has challenged assertions made by Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico concerning the recent deportation of a young boy who was apprehended alongside his father by federal immigration authorities.
Victor Martinez Nieto and his five-year-old son, Liam Tadeo, were both deported on Tuesday. The pair had been detained by authorities in Austin, Texas, earlier in the month while en route to a soccer match.
Democrat's Allegations
On Wednesday, Talarico, who has previously highlighted this case as part of his critique of immigration enforcement policies, stated that Liam, who was scheduled to begin kindergarten this week, should have been in school. He took to social media to express his views:
ICE kidnapped Liam Tadeo on his way to a soccer game with his dad. Liam should be in kindergarten. Instead, our government has thrown him in a prison camp hundreds of miles from home.
Talarico later confirmed on Thursday that Liam had been deported.
Homeland Security Response
In response, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sought to clarify the situation, asserting that Talarico "won't tell the American people the full story." Mullin emphasized that the child's deportation occurred with Martinez Nieto at his father's explicit request.
Mullin stated that federal immigration authorities do not separate families. He explained that parents are given the option to be removed with their children or to designate a safe individual to care for the children. In this specific instance, the father and son were deported together.
Mullin further noted that parents bear responsibility for their children's circumstances, drawing a parallel to U.S. citizen parents who face arrest for legal infractions.
Both the father and son were held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center prior to their deportation.