Mother’s Position:
According to government attorneys and a handwritten note provided to the court, the mother, Carolina Lopez Villela, indicated her desire to take her daughter with her to Honduras. The Trump administration and ICE officials have cited this as the reason for allowing the child, referred to in court documents as V.M.L., to leave the U.S. with her mother
478. However, advocates and attorneys for the family dispute whether this was a truly voluntary or informed decision, noting that the mother and children were held without meaningful communication or legal alternatives, and that ICE prevented the family from pursuing other options.
Father’s Position:
The father, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, filed an emergency petition in federal court to prevent his daughter’s removal, emphasizing that she is a U.S. citizen and should not be deported. According to court documents, he attempted to inform his partner and ICE officials of the child’s citizenship and legal rights, and he sought to transfer custody of V.M.L. to a U.S.-based relative (his sister-in-law) who was willing to care for her. The petition describes a distressing phone call in which the father heard both the mother and children crying, and asserts that the mother was not given a real choice or opportunity to pursue alternatives.