ICE "Kidnapped" a Child? Wrong. Federal Authorities Refused to Release Him to an Unapproved Sponsor

Media and social media reports misrepresented the circumstances of an 11-year-old Venezuelan boy’s separation from his father. ICE arrested the father for immigration violations, and the child was placed under the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) as an unaccompanied minor. A potential sponsor withdrew her application, and the father faced expedited removal proceedings, preventing his immediate custody of the child, who was eventually granted voluntary departure to Venezuela.

• Mother Jones reported that ICE separated an 11-year-old Venezuelan boy from his father and denied his return to family.
• The boy’s father, Jesús Eduardo Reyes Hermes, had Temporary Protected Status (TPS) terminated and missed an immigration hearing.
• ICE arrested the father, and the boy, identified as J.R.C., was taken into custody with him before being transferred to ORR as an unaccompanied minor.
• The father’s detention created a childcare issue, and a potential sponsor, Mariana, withdrew her application due to lacking a required taxpayer identification number.
• A federal judge ruled the boy had no available parent or legal guardian in the U.S. and no approved sponsor.
• The father was released on bond, but the boy remained in ORR custody, facing asylum denial and expedited removal proceedings for the father.
• The boy was granted voluntary departure to Venezuela and reunited with his biological mother.
• Allegations that U.S. authorities failed to notify the mother of the boy’s arrival are unsubstantiated by independent documentation.