November 11, 2026 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.), along with U.S. Representatives Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), and Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), demanded answers from the Trump Administration after an eight-year-old Haitian child who lost Temporary Protected Status was taken into federal custody after complying with a routine immigration check-in in San Diego. 

Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the lawmakers expressed serious concerns about the Administration’s harmful immigration agenda.

“An ICE officer reportedly invoked the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 while taking him into custody, apparently placing the child in restraints and separating him from the person who brought him for his hearing. Video footage appears to show the use of restraints on a child who seemed to pose no threat to those around him, raising serious questions about the handling of this incident,” wrote the lawmakers. “We express concerns about the basis for this action and the harm it may cause a young child who appeared for his required hearing.”

The lawmakers demanded DHS provide updated information about the child’s safety and underscored the importance of holding the Administration accountable.

“With this letter, we emphasize that the safety and well-being of children and families in San Diego County must remain the highest priority,” the lawmakers continued. “We also request confirmation on the child’s whereabouts, whether his family is aware of his location, and what steps your agencies are taking to ensure he can be reunited with them.”

Padilla has led the charge in opposing the Trump Administration’s cruel and indiscriminate mass deportation agenda. Last month, Padilla demanded answers from DHS following reports of increased ICE enforcement activity in Mendota and across California. In September, Padilla called on DHS to end immigration enforcement activity around San Diego County schools and educational institutions. Padilla also urged Mullin to immediately recall ICE officers hired during the 2025 surge period. In August, Padilla called out the Trump Administration’s continued abuses of power and demanded accountability. In June, Padilla sounded the alarm over the significant increase in deaths among detainees in ICE custody since January 2025.

Padilla has repeatedly conducted oversight visits to immigration detention facilities and holding centers across California to examine conditions firsthand and demand accountability from federal officials. His visits include facilities in California City, Otay Mesa, San Francisco International Airport, Downtown Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Mullin and Secretary Kennedy, 

We write to express deep concerns regarding reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained an eight-year-old Haitian child at a scheduled immigration hearing in San Diego, California, on November 5, 2026. An ICE officer reportedly invoked the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 while taking him into custody, apparently placing the child in restraints and separating him from the person who brought him for his hearing. Video footage appears to show the use of restraints on a child who seemed to pose no threat to those around him, raising serious questions about the handling of this incident. We express concerns about the basis for this action and the harm it may cause a young child who appeared for his required hearing before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). 

Our September 22, 2026, letter concerning ICE enforcement activity around school and educational institutions addressed the fear and disruption these actions cause in our communities. House Members of the San Diego congressional delegation also wrote to both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Education on October 14, 2025, highlighting concerns from twenty-five San Diego County school district superintendents. The superintendents requested DHS to adopt clear consistent enforcement policies and coordination between the departments to keep schools safe places to learn. This reported detention underscores those concerns. Following this third-grade student’s detention, San Diego Unified School District reportedly sent crisis counselors to Fay Elementary School to support his classmates, who expressed fear and distress. The effects of this action extend far beyond one child and his family.  

With this letter, we emphasize that the safety and well-being of children and families in San Diego County must remain the highest priority. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and expect timely updates on the child’s well-being and your agencies’ response to these concerns. We also request confirmation on the child’s whereabouts, whether his family is aware of his location, and what steps your agencies are taking to ensure he can be reunited with them. We ask that you promptly review this child’s case and give it your full and fair consideration based on its merits, consistent with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Please provide our offices with an update regarding your findings from this review by December 1, 2026.

Sincerely,

Source: Senator Alex Padilla