Immigrant mothers are to blame for their US citizen children being deported, says Trump’s border czar

White House border czar Tom Homan defended the Trump administration’s deportation of children with United States citizenship on their mothers who were in the country without legal status, saying they were the ones who put their family “in that position.”

Last week, the administration deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen alongside their pregnant mother with what one judge called “no meaningful process.” At least two other children, aged four and seven, were also deported alongside their mother too – despite the 4-year-old having stage 4 cancer.

Facing questions from reporters on Monday morning, Homan reiterated a point he made over the weekend: the mothers are to blame.

“What we did is remove children with their mothers, who requested their children depart with them. This is a parental decision. Parenting 101,” Homan said.

“If you remain in this country illegally and you ignore a judge’s order about self-deport. If you choose to have a U.S. citizen child, knowing you’re in this country illegally, you put yourself in that position, you put your family in that position,” Homan added.

Homan asserted the administration was “keeping families together” by giving parents the option to bring their young children with them. He denied accusations that due process was not given, saying one mother signed paperwork agreeing to bring her 2-year-old with her.

But other reports indicate the process of detaining and deporting the mother and child was rushed. A federal judge also pointed out that the two-year-old’s father attempted to have the child’s legal custody temporarily transferred to a relative who is a U.S. citizen.

Gracie Willis, an attorney and immigration advocate with the National Immigration Project, said the deported mothers “had no opportunity to speak with their co-parents to make the kinds of choices that parents are entitled to make.”

“We should be gravely concerned that ICE has been given tacit approval to both detain and deport U.S. citizen children despite the availability and willingness of U.S.-based caregivers who, only because of ICE’s own actions, cannot find or contact them,” Willis said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told the New York Times over the weekend that it’s common for parents facing deportation to want to be removed with their children.

“We take our responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected,” Tricia McLaughlin said.

Homan also reiterated that U.S. citizen children were not going to be an exception to the administration’s mass deportation agenda.

Homan’s comments were part of an early-morning Monday press conference in which he and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted the administration’s efforts to keep good on Trump’s promise to deport undocumented immigrants.

The border czar also took the opportunity to warn any undocumented immigrant to “get your affairs in order” and “leave on your own.”