A.A.Z.M.

Synopsis

A.A.Z.M. is a 7-year-old U.S. citizen identified by initials in court documents. She is the older sister of Romeo, a 4-year-old U.S. citizen with stage 4 cancer. Both children were deported to Honduras with their mother, Reachel Alexas Morales-Valle, on April 25, 2025, according to PBS NewsHour, NBC News, and the National Immigration Project. The children were detained April 24 at what their family understood to be a routine passport photocopy appointment in Saint Rose, Louisiana. Attorneys said the family was separated from counsel, denied meaningful phone access, and flown to Honduras before habeas petitions could be filed. PBS reported that legal custodians in the United States were willing to care for the U.S.-citizen children but that requests for legal visits and calls were denied or ignored. Sirine Shebaya, executive director of the National Immigration Project, told PBS that the mothers did not request their children's deportation and that blocking contact with family and attorneys undermined any claim of voluntary choice. The August 2025 lawsuit filed by the National Immigration Project alleges the government "banished" U.S. citizens without due process. This profile summarizes published reporting; legal status and location may change.

Key takeaways

From court records, news reporting, and linked sources below.

  1. A.A.Z.M. is a 7-year-old U.S. citizen identified by initials in court filings; she is Romeo's older sister.
  2. She was deported to Honduras on April 25, 2025, less than 24 hours after detention at an ICE check-in in Louisiana.
  3. Attorneys said U.S.-based family members were available to care for the children but were not permitted to take custody.
  4. Her case was one of three U.S.-citizen children deported to Honduras in the same week, drawing national media and judicial scrutiny.

Reference links

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