Austin mother set to be deported along with two US citizen children
Community advocates are urging legal intervention to stop the family’s deportation
Austin, TX—An Austin mother is facing imminent deportation, including two U.S. citizen children, after a traffic stop last Thursday near Dobie Middle School escalated into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention.
Denisse Parra Vargas, mother of three children aged 9, 5, and 4, was pulled over along with her husband in front of the school for expired tags. ICE agents detained both parents on the spot. Denisse was released later that day and fitted with an ankle monitor, while the father was taken into ICE custody.
Denisse was instructed by ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) to report to the Pflugerville processing center on Tuesday, May 6. She complied, bringing her three children—including two U.S. citizens—to the appointment.
Later that day, the family’s legal and community advocates were informed that Denisse, along with her three children, were transferred to Laredo. However, there are no confirmed details about the whereabouts or welfare of her children, and neither the family nor the legal team have been able to get in touch. It remains unclear whether the children were separated from their mother or are in deportation proceedings.
The disappearance of Denisse’s children is part of an escalating trend from ICE to deport and disappear U.S. citizen children, blatantly violating their constitutional rights. Just last month, ICE deported three U.S. citizen children, including a four-year-old with stage four metastatic cancer, after the mother was detained at a routine ICE appointment.
“This is not just a deportation, it’s the potential erasure of an entire family, including two children born in this country,” said Annette Price, Executive Director of Grassroots Leadership. “This is incredibly traumatizing for the children, and our community deserves answers. This family deserves dignity, due process, and to remain in Austin where they belong.”
Community advocates are calling for immediate transparency from ICE and DHS, including the location of Denisse and her children in order for legal advocates to pursue intervention, and for elected officials to step in to prevent the deportation and separation of this Austin family.
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MEDIA CONTACT: communications@grassrootsleadership.org
