Pregnant mom tries to stop her deportation by filing federal lawsuit in Ohio

Kate Linderman, The Charlotte Observer on May 23, 2025

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A pregnant mother in Ohio facing deportation to El Salvador hopes that a federal lawsuit can keep her in the country.

The lawsuit against United States Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is filed on behalf of the woman’s 9-year-old child, an American citizen, and her unborn child who is due in October, according to the amended complaint filed on May 22.

McClatchy News reached out to Bondi and Noem’s offices for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Columbus mother is due for a mandatory check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 3, but she fears she will be taken into custody and deported to El Salvador during the visit, the lawsuit said.

She believes her deportation would negatively impact both of her children, according to the complaint.

Her 9-year-old child was recently diagnosed with autism, and the complaint argues that El Salvador does not have access to the same special education resources as the United States.

The complaint says forcing the child to go to El Salvador with their mother, or separating them, would be “cruel and unusual punishment” for the child, a violation of the 8th amendment, the lawsuit said.

Threats of removing the child’s mother “treats this child differently” than other American citizens, according to the lawsuit.

Her unborn child, who is considered a person under Ohio law, would also be denied United States citizenship if the mother was deported before the child was born, the lawsuit said.

A motion to temporarily block the mother’s deportation was filed on May 19, according to documents.

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