3 children detained at O’ Hare Airport by immigration agents

July 19, 2019 por Isolda Barrera

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Three children who are American citizens were held by immigration agents for several hours at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday after arriving from Mexico with a relative, who reportedly mentioned because the adult they were traveling with was "considered inadmissible" to Enter the United States with the three children under 9, 10 and 13 years.

Mention is made that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained minors as a way of hooking in order to detain their parents who are said to be not American citizens and reside in the country illegally. Activists rushed to O’Hare trying to ask questions about why the children had been arrested.

At the airport it became known that Representative Jan Schakowsky was arriving in the city of Chicago after having traveled to Washington DC, appeared before the agents to find out why they were being arrested, not only that, but also the mayor from the city of Chicago Lori Lightfoot and the Mexican Consulate intervened to learn about the situation. Wanting to know why the detention of minors.

"I will try to enter and see why our government is acting in this way with three minors who have every right to travel," Schakowsky said before entering the Customs office. “Three citizens of the United States of America. What's going on here? This is completely out of control. "

The children were arrested around 3 in the morning and it is mentioned that they were fed as well as fed them. The agents say they tried to contact the parents of the children, but they never got an answer.

The mother of the children who only identifies herself as Sylvia, says that when she saw the situation in which her daughters were, she decided to remain calm and immediately contacted the Mexican Consulate to know what her options could be to be able to get back to their daughters.

After 13 hours, and being in an agreement where the mother could go through her daughters without running the risk of being arrested by ICE agents. The mother had previously applied to become a legal citizen, but even if she was afraid of being detained at the time she filed to claim her daughters.

The minors had traveled to Mexico for the first time and as American citizens they should not have been subjected to these deals. Several people question why the detention of three American citizens and many are taking it as an extremist action by the government to force parents to be present in these types of situations.

"I feel it is a kind of kidnapping of children by our government, and I am really tired of what we are doing," Schakowsky said.

Fortunately, this situation could be resolved with a “happy ending”, but the representative Schakowsky mentions “We cannot be there in every situation and that is what really scares me.… We are better than this.”

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