Romeo

Synopsis

Romeo is a 4-year-old U.S. citizen identified by first name in court documents and reporting on the April 2025 deportations of three American children to Honduras. He has stage 4 cancer and was actively receiving treatment before removal, according to attorneys with the National Immigration Project and reporting by NBC News, CNN, and PBS NewsHour. His mother, Reachel Alexas Morales-Valle, a Honduran national who entered the United States as an unaccompanied minor in 2013, was told to bring Romeo and his 7-year-old sister A.A.Z.M. to an ISAP appointment in Saint Rose, Louisiana, to photocopy their passports. The children wore school uniforms expecting to return to class. Instead, ICE detained all three on April 24, 2025, separated them from their attorney, and moved them to Alexandria, Louisiana. Attorney Gracie Willis told NBC that Romeo and his sister were placed on their mother's deportation flight the morning of April 25 before a habeas petition could be filed. Romeo had cancer medication with him in detention but was not permitted to access it and was not allowed to bring it when deported, according to the National Immigration Project. ICE was aware of his diagnosis before removal. Border czar Tom Homan called the children "anchor babies" and said their mother chose to take them to Honduras; attorneys and the mothers dispute that account. In August 2025, the National Immigration Project filed suit on behalf of both families, alleging unlawful deportation of U.S. citizens without due process. TIMELINE April 24, 2025 — Romeo, his sister, and mother detained at ISAP appointment in Saint Rose, Louisiana (NBC News, National Immigration Project). April 25, 2025 — Family flown to Honduras on ICE charter before habeas petition filed; Romeo without access to cancer medication (NBC News, PBS NewsHour). August 2025 — National Immigration Project files lawsuit seeking damages and declaratory relief for both Honduran deportation families (The Guardian). This profile summarizes published reporting; legal status and location may change.

Key takeaways

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

1. Romeo is a 4-year-old U.S. citizen with stage 4 cancer who was deported to Honduras on April 25, 2025, according to NBC News and the National Immigration Project.
2. He and his 7-year-old sister were detained with their mother at a routine ICE check-in in Saint Rose, Louisiana, on April 24.
3. Attorneys said Romeo had cancer medication in detention but could not access it and was not permitted to bring it when deported.
4. A habeas petition was being prepared when ICE flew the children out of the country less than 24 hours after detention.
5. The National Immigration Project disputes DHS claims that the mother voluntarily chose to deport her U.S.-citizen children.

Reference links

• PBS NewsHour — Children who are U.S. citizens deported along with foreign-born mothers, attorneys say↗
• NBC News — U.S. citizen children, including 4-year-old with cancer, taken to Honduras on mother's deportation flight↗
• New York Magazine / Congress.gov — All the U.S. Citizens Who've Been Caught Up in Trump's Immigration Crackdown↗

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