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Over 200 people detained, including military members, at unlicensed nightclub in Colorado, DEA says

April 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(COLORADO SPRINGS, CO) — The Drug Enforcement Administration said it detained more than 200 people — including members of the military — at an unlicensed underground nightclub in Colorado on Sunday, officials told ABC News.

Officials said among those that were detained were active-duty military members. DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said that alleged members of gangs, including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, were present at the venue.

At approximately 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, officials conducted a “multi-agency enforcement operation” at what they called an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division posted a video on X showing the operation underway on Sunday morning.

Of the hundreds of people inside the nightclub, at least 114 were migrants that DEA officials said were in the country illegally. They are now in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Close to 300 people were inside the nightclub and 114 illegal migrants were taken into custody, with most from Central and South America, officials said.

“Drugs and weapons have also been seized at this underground nightclub,” the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division said on X.

The operation was led by the DEA and involved around 10 federal agencies along with the local sheriff’s department, officials said. The investigation took several months and included undercover operations, officials said.

Authorities said they used drones, a helicopter and an armored vehicle for the operation.

The Army confirmed that service members from Fort Carson, Colorado, were present at the club and that it is conducting a joint investigation with DEA.

The Army would not say how many service members were allegedly involved, whether any were arrested or remain in custody, or if they were charged.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on Sunday that “cocaine, meth and pink cocaine was seized” during the operation, and that two people were arrested on existing warrants.

“As we approach his 100 days in office @POTUS Trump’s directive to make America safe again is achieving results!” Bondi said.

Officials said they also found evidence of prostitution and suspect human trafficking was at play at the nightclub.

Mike Moon, the property owner, told ABC Colorado Springs affiliate KRDO he had “no idea” what was happening in the space and the tenants’ lease was about to expire at the end of April.

“It’s shocking to me that in this political climate that something like this was even happening and that people thought this was a good idea to do something like this,” Moon said.

The space is an event center with a stage and a bar in the back, but there was no liquor license for the club, officials said.

There were no injuries to law enforcement, but one man suffered life-threatening injuries jumping out of a window trying to flee, officials told ABC News.

ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report

1 officer dead, 1 injured after shootout with suspect in Georgia

April 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Columbia County Deputy Brandon Sikes, a crime suppression officer with the department since 2018, was killed during a standoff along Interstate 20, according to Columbia County Sheriff Clay N. Whittle on Sunday.

Sikes is survived by his wife, Amber, who is also an employee of the sheriff’s office in Columbia County, Georgia.

Another deputy, Gavin White, who is also a crime suppression offering, was shot during the incident and taken to the hospital for treatment, Whittle said.

The deadly encounter began Saturday afternoon around 6:30 p.m. when the two deputies attempted to serve a temporary protective order to a suspect identified as James Blake Montgomery. During the encounter, both deputies were shot.

Montgomery then barricaded himself inside an RV, police said.

Montgomery tried to drive away under fire, police said, and the RV crashed into a median barrier on I-20, westbound next Exit 194.

Law enforcement quickly surrounded the vehicle, they said, deploying drones and robots to assess the situation. Initially, they said, it was unclear whether Montgomery was alive inside.

After a prolonged standoff, Montgomery was found dead inside the motorhome, officials said. Sheriff’s officials, aided by local, state and federal agencies, discovered multiple pipe bombs and bomb-making materials inside the RV, including at least one device rigged with a remote switch, according to Whittle on Sunday.

Beneath the motorhome, investigators found several propane cylinders, raising concerns about the potential for a catastrophic explosion, the sheriff continued.

Deputy Andrew Brown was among those who engaged Montgomery during the firefight. Whittle credited Brown with saving the life of another wounded deputy, Gavin White, by dragging him across three patrol cars and driving him directly to Doctor’s Hospital while still under fire.

“Probably saving his life, according to the doctors,” Whittle said.

Authorities also recovered an illegally modified fully automatic AR-style rifle, numerous magazines, several handguns and boxes of ammunition from the motorhome, they said.

Investigators also found jars containing unknown liquids, which could be bomb-making materials or related to Montgomery’s previously known illegal steroid operation, Whittle added.

Both Sikes and Montgomery are undergoing autopsies at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Atlanta.

Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson posted a statement on Facebook on Saturday, saying, “Heartbroken and praying for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and our neighbors in Columbia County. Our prayers are with the families of the fallen, the entire Sheriff’s Office, and all who are grieving this unimaginable loss. We honor their sacrifice and pray for the difficult days ahead.” Columbia County is situated within the Augusta-Richmond County metropolitan area.

Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp also shared a statement on X on Saturday, offering condolences and saying that he is “painfully reminded of why those who wear a badge have more than earned our enduring respect and appreciation.”

ABC News’ Mariama Jalloh contributed to this report.

Missouri firefighter-paramedic stabbed to death in ‘senseless act’: Officials

April 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(KANSAS CITY, MI) — In what officials called “a senseless act,” a paramedic Graham Hoffman, 29 years old, had been with the Kansas City Fire Department since 2022.

“Early Sunday morning, Firefighter Hoffman was critically injured after being stabbed in the chest, piercing his heart, while transporting a patient to a local hospital on what began as a routine medical call from the police,” a statement from the city said. “His partner immediately initiated a crew emergency.”

He was rushed to North Kansas City Hospital, where he died from his injuries, Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said.

“KCFD crews worked tirelessly to save Firefighter Hoffman’s life en route to North Kansas City Hospital,” the city’s statement added. “Lifesaving efforts continued in the emergency room before Graham was moved into surgery. Despite the heroic efforts … Firefighter Hoffman, succumbed to his injuries in the intensive care unit.”

Officials said the suspect was in custody on Sunday, but did not provide details.

“I expect and will demand justice,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said at a news conference on Sunday. “I never expected a line of duty death like this one.”

“Graham was a dedicated professional who loved serving his city,” the KCFD posted on Facebook. “He will be greatly missed.”

ABC News’ Chris Barry contributed to this report.

Trump says he wants a Russia-Ukraine deal in ‘2 weeks or less’

April 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Sunday he wants a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war in “two weeks or less,” but later said a little more time might be acceptable.

Trump’s deadline comes a day after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Vatican City while they were in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral.

“I think the meeting went well, we’ll see what happens over the next few days. We’ll probably learn a lot,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey before returning to Washington.

Trump said he was “very disappointed” that Russia continued to carry out missile and drone strikes in Ukraine days after he had implored Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the attacks while negotiations continued.

When asked what he and Zelenskyy talked about, Trump said Zelenskyy emphasized their need for more weapons.

“He told me that he needs more weapons and we’re going to see what happens — I want to see what, with respect to Russia — with Russia I’ve been surprised and disappointed when they did the bombing,” Trump said.

When asked what he wants from Putin, Trump replied, “I want him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal. We have the confines of a deal I believe and I want him to sign it and be done with it and just go back to life.”

Trump also said that Ukraine reclaiming its territory in Crimea that Russia occupied in 2014 would be complicated while blaming former President Barack Obama for allowing Russia to take the region. Asked whether he thought Ukraine would give up Crimea, Trump said “I think so.”

Earlier Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Russia and Ukraine are closer to a deal after Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy, but a deal is still not there.

He said the U.S. will now need to weigh if it’s time for the U.S. to step in to mediate talks.

“Well, I think they’re closer in general than they’ve been any time in the last three years, but it’s still not there,” Rubio told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“We cannot continue, as I said, to dedicate time and resources to this effort if it’s not going to come to fruition. So the last week has really been about figuring out how close are these sides really and are they close enough that this merits a continued investment of our time as a mediator in this regard.”

Trump and Zelenskyy met in Vatican City on Saturday while both were in Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the two had a “very productive session.” Zelenskyy described the meeting as “good” in a post on X and said, “Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”

After their meeting, Trump blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s continued bombardments of Ukrainian cities, which continued overnight into Sunday morning with more drone attacks on six Ukrainian regions. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces downed eight Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday morning.

Rubio was asked why the U.S. trusts that Putin won’t invade Ukraine again or another European country as he has never acknowledged Ukraine’s right to exist.

“Well, I don’t think peace deals are built on trust. I think peace deals have to be built on verification. Have to be built on facts, have to be built on action, have to be built on realities,” Rubio said. “So this is not an issue of, well, of trust. It’s an issue of building in these sorts of things, verification, security, guarantees, things that have been discussed in the past,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the U.S. has made “real progess, but those last couple steps of this journey were always going to be the hardest ones, and it needs to happen soon.”

Rubio wouldn’t elaborate on a timeline of a deal but instead stressed this is a “critical week” for the U.S.

“This week is going to be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in, or if it’s time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally, if not more important, in some cases, but we want to see it happen, there are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic, of course, as well,” he said. “We’re close, but we’re not close enough.”

Asked if he supported negotiations, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN’s “State of the Union that he fears Trump will cave in to Putin and “sell out” Zelenskyy.

“Well, look, my great fear, Dana, is that Trump will just cave in to Putin,” Schumer told CNN’s Dana Bash. “That’s been the overall indications all along. And, of course, the bottom line is very simple, that if we cave to Putin, if Trump caves in to Putin, it’s three — it’s bad in three very bad ways:” abandoning Ukraine would be a “moral tragedy, he said, and would “tear asunder” alliances with European allies.

“But, third, and maybe worst of all, it’s a sign that the United States is weak. It sends a signal to every dictator in China, in North Korea, in Iran that, if you stand up and bully Trump, you’re going to get your way,” he said.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that more sanctions against Russia could be coming as the U.S. tries to force it to make a deal.

“[Trump] talked about potential action on banking, potential action on the oil and gas sector. But he’s determined to use both carrots and sticks to get both sides to the table,” he said.

Noem says Secret Service arrested the person who stole her bag

April 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that the Secret Service caught the person who swiped her bag from a Washington restaurant on Easter Sunday while she was dining with her family.

“Thank you to @SecretService @ICE and our law enforcement partners for finding and arresting the criminal who stole my bag on Easter Sunday as I shared a meal with my family at a Washington DC restaurant,” Noem posted on X.

Authorities said a man wearing a mask took Noem’s bag, which contained $3,000, her DHS access card, passport, makeup bag, apartment key and other items.

Noem said in her post that the person arrested is “a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.”

“Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets,” she said.

Later Sunday, the Secret Service said it had made two arrests in the case — one in Washington and one in Miami.

The Secret Service said the defendant arrested in D.C., who it didn’t identify, is a serial offender and said the theft “had no protective nexus to Secretary Noem or her role as Secretary of Homeland Security.” It also said its investigation revealed alleged potential device and credit card fraud and would maintain jurisdiction over the case.

The person arrested in Miami is believed to be a co-conspirator with the first person in a pattern of thefts and robberies in D.C. and is believed to be the primary defendant in stealing Noem’s bag, the Secret Service said. The person is being held on an immigration detainer and their name will be released when charges are finalized, the Secret Service said.

In an interview on Thursday, Noem said she thought the theft was “professionally done.”

“It was kind of shocking, actually, because it was sitting right by my feet, actually felt my purse, he hooked it with his foot and dragged it a few steps away and dropped a coat over it and took it,” Noem said on “The Vince Show.”

Noem said she wasn’t sure if she was targeted because she was the DHS secretary. She said she felt something brush against her leg where the bag was at her feet, but thought it was one of her grandchildren.

“I think I was a busy grandma with four grandkids under the age of 4, and I was taking care of them and feeding them food and enjoying my family, yeah, but certainly had my purse even touching my feet,” she said.

A DHS official said the secretary had the cash with her because her family was in town and she was treating them to Easter festivities.

“Her entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren — she was using the cash withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the official said.

ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.

New Jersey wildfire: Strong winds complicate firefighters’ efforts

April 28, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(OCEAN COUNTY, NJ) — Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire in New Jersey that has burned over 15,000 acres, with strong winds on Sunday complicating their efforts, officials said.

The Jones Road Wildfire, located in Ocean County, has burned 15,300 acres and is only 65% contained as of Sunday, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.

The National Weather Service issued an “increased risk of rapid fire spread” for Sunday afternoon for portions of southern New Jersey. Minimum humidity values will be around 30% to 35%, combined with “northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with 30 to 40 mph gusts.”

Officials said these windy conditions are complicating the containment process for this wildfire, with the gusts causing already-burned trees to fall throughout the woods, creating serious hazards.

“The NJ State Forest Fire Service is again requesting for folks to stay out of the woods that were affected,” the Lacey Township Police Department said in a statement on Sunday. “It’s a dangerous combination of fire and wind.”

Firefighter operations will continue for the “next several days” due to these powerful winds, officials said.

The NWS said the wind should “diminish fairly rapidly by early this evening.”

The New Jersey State Forest Service is urging the public to avoid fire-affected wooded areas, warning of dangerous conditions. The NWS also said outdoor burning is “strongly discouraged” during this time.

Trace amounts of rain fell over the southern portion of the fire on Saturday, and precipitation that “varied in amount” hit the northern section of the flames. Crews are “currently mopping up hotspots and patrolling the fire perimeter,” the forest fire service said.

So far, one commercial building and multiple outbuildings and vehicles were destroyed by flames, with a complete damage assessment underway, officials said.

Officials said they will provide more updates on the fire’s containment on Monday afternoon.

The Jones Road Wildfire was first spotted at approximately 9:45 a.m. on April 22 in the Greenwood Wildlife Management area in Waretown, New Jersey, officials said.

A 19-year-old man, Joseph Kling of Waretown, was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire and charged with second-degree aggravated arson for allegedly purposely destroying a forest; and third-degree arson for allegedly recklessly endangering buildings or structures, New Jersey officials announced on Thursday.

Kling was arrested after investigators determined the fire to be “incendiary by an improperly extinguished bonfire,” officials said.

The origin of the fire, according to investigators, is near the Waretown address the Kling listed as his home.

During his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon, Kling did not enter a plea to the charges. A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

ABC News’ Jason Volack and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Hundreds injured in explosion at Iranian port, officials say

April 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — Hundreds of people were injured following an explosion at one of Iran’s most important ports, according to officials.

The explosion originated in a container at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, according to state media outlet Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

At least 516 people were injured in the explosion and subsequent fire, according to state outlet the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), which cited a spokesperson for Iran’s emergency services.

Video posted to social media shows damaged buildings filled with smoke.

Emergency services rushed to the scene following the explosion. The port plays a key role in trade in the country and is responsible for the vast majority of loading and unloading of goods in Iranian ports.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, said Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, a crisis management official in the area.

It is unclear whether there were fatalities as a result of the explosion.

Key moments from Pope Francis’ funeral as mourners bid farewell to late pontiff

April 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(ROME) — Pope Francis was laid to rest Saturday at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome after dying at 88 years old on April 21.

More than 250,000 people turned out to bid farewell to the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The crowd at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican included many young people and world leaders, giving us some important snapshots of our political moment.

Here are some key moments from the historic event:

Francis remembered as ‘pope among the people’

At his funeral, Pope Francis was remembered and venerated as a pontiff with “strength and serenity” who modeled his pontificate on St. Francis of Assisi. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, delivered the homily in front of mourners in St. Peter’s Square.

“He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalized, the least among us,” Re said.

“He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone. He was also a Pope attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church.”

Young people play a prominent role in Pope Francis’ funeral

Pope Francis’ outreach resonated with the younger generations, thousands of whom were present in St. Peter’s Square to mourn the late pontiff during his funeral on Saturday morning.

About 80,000 teenagers had registered for the Jubilee of Teenagers, a special event for worshippers between the ages of 12 and 17 during the Catholic Church’s Jubilee year of 2025, according to the Dicastery for Evangelization, a department of the Roman Curia — the central governing body of the Catholic Church.

Some changes were made to the event, scheduled for Friday and Sunday, due to Francis’ death. The canonization of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at the age of 15 from leukemia, was postponed. Acutis, an Italian teen known for his devotion to the Eucharist, is set to become the first “millennial” saint upon his canonization, which was formally approved by Francis in July 2024.

Crowd applauds as Pope Francis’ coffin is brought out of basilica

The mourners assembled in St. Peter’s Square broke into applause as pallbearers carried the pope’s coffin outside. It was the site of Pope Francis’ last official act, when he celebrated Easter Sunday a day before he died on April 21.

American reporter delivers 1st reading

Some young adults even played a prominent role in the funeral proceedings. American Kielce Gussie, 28, did the first reading in English — several verses from the Acts of the Apostles.

Gussie works as a journalist at Vatican News and completed her undergraduate degree in theology at Mount St. Mary’s University. She also has a licentiate degree in church communication from Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

Crowd applauds Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in attendance with his wife Olena Zelenska, earned applause from the crowd in St. Peter’s Square appeared on the screens around the area.

Zelenskyy has led Ukraine during the country’s war with Russia, which escalated in 2022 after the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country.

President Donald Trump met privately with Zelenskyy prior to the funeral and had a “very productive session,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the press pool traveling with Trump.

It was the first meeting between the two men since their contentious February meeting in the Oval Office, in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance rebuked Zelenskyy for his handling of the war.

First lady Melania Trump joined the president at the funeral. Former President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden attended the funeral as well, sitting about four rows behind the Trumps.

Pages of the Book of Gospels blow in the wind

It is one of the most poignant and iconic moments in papal funerals: the simple yet profound image of the breeze blowing the pages of the Book of the Gospels resting on top of the pope’s coffin in St. Peter’s Square.

The book was opened to the reading, “In the Passion and death of the Lord.”

Bells toll as coffin is brought back into basilica

The coffin carrying Pope Francis was brought through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica for a final time as bells tolled for the pope throughout the Vatican.

The funeral, which lasted more than two hours, concluded with bells ringing for the pontiff. His coffin was taken to Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major where he was laid to rest.

Thousands line streets of Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral procession

The four-mile route between St. Peter’s Basilica and the final resting place of Pope Francis — the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome — was lined with tens of thousands of mourners following his funeral on Saturday morning.

People could be seen crying and applauding as Francis’ coffin drove by.

Francis’ coffin was placed in the bed of a white pickup truck, where it was visible to the thousands lining the streets. The procession took the pope’s body past some of Rome’s historical landmarks, such as the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.

When Pope Francis arrived at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, it was the last time he was seen in public before his burial. The basilica will reopen to visitors again on Sunday.

ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler, Kevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Hannah Demissie, Molly Nagle, Alex Ederson, Phoebe Natanson and Thomas Dunlavey.

ICE, Florida officials arrest over 750 in 4-day operation

April 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MIAMI) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and law enforcement from the state of Florida have arrested 780 migrants who are in the United States illegally in a four-day operation beginning Monday, according to statistics obtained by ABC News.

The operation, dubbed “Operation Tidal Wave” uses ICE’s 287(g) authority, which allows for state and local law enforcement agencies to be deputized and to arrest those in the U.S. illegally. State and local agencies allow for ICE to be in jails and on task forces, according to the agency.

“I think the main reason why this operation is significant is because it’s the first of its kind,” Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, told ABC News. “It’s one that not only we’ve been doing what we have, but we have surged all our federal partners together along with Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement [and] Removal Operations, which are all the enforcement arms of ICE, but we’re also using all our 287(g) partners in the state of Florida. We’re using state, local and county law enforcement agencies to assist us in our operations.

“So this is one of the first large-scale missions we’ve done like this ever,” he added. “We brought a ‘whole the government’ approach with cooperative jurisdictions that want to help ICE secure communities in neighborhoods and remove public safety threats from our neighborhoods.”

The partnerships are a “force multiplier,” he said.

“State troopers, local police officers, county sheriffs — they’re our eyes and ears,” he said. “They encountered these criminal aliens out and about during their regular duties, and they’re able to go ahead and identify those public safety threats for us.”

ICE and officials from Florida law enforcement, which includes the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, arrested 275 people in four days with final orders of removal — meaning they can be removed from the country in short order.

Madison Sheahan, who serves as the ICE deputy director, told ABC News that the partnerships will continue.

“We’ve seen historic partnerships with the state of Texas that has been going on and being able to expand. We’ve seen historic partnerships in Virginia as well as many other states that are coming to the table, even states that you wouldn’t necessarily always think of as border states,” she said.

These 287(g) operations will continue across the country in partnership with state and federal law enforcement, resulting in successful enforcement operations, according to the officials.

Since the beginning of the administration, there have been 428 new 287(g) agreements signed with state and local law enforcement agencies, representing a 371% increase, Lyons noted.

Lyons said the partnerships with state and local law enforcement are “making communities safer.”

Federal judge says he has strong suspicion 2-year old US citizen was deported ‘with no meaningful process’

April 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A federal judge on Friday said he has a strong suspicion that the Trump administration deported a 2-year old U.S. citizen to Honduras “with no meaningful process.”

The U.S. citizen, identified in the filings as “V.M.L” was initially detained with her undocumented mother and sister at a routine immigration check-in in New Orleans earlier this week. After the father of the 2-year old learned that his family was detained, his lawyer called immigration officials to inform them that V.M.L is a U.S. citizen and could not be deported, according to court documents.

“Around 7:30 p.m. the same day, V.M.L.’s father received a call from an ICE officer, who spoke to him for about a minute,” according to a court filing submitted by the father’s attorney. “The officer said that V.M.L.’s mother was there, and that they did not have much time to speak to each other and that they were going to deport his partner and daughters.”

According to the court filing, when the father reached out to an official for Immigration and Customs and Enforcement, he was told that he could try to pick up V.M.L but that he would also be taken into custody.

On Thursday, an attorney for a family friend, who had been given temporary provisional custody of the child, filed for a temporary restraining order, requesting the immediate release of the 2-year-old, saying she was suffering irreparable harm by being detained.

In response to that motion, lawyers with the Justice Department said it was in the best interest of the minor that she remain in legal custody of her mother and added that she was not at “risk of irreparable harm because she is a U.S. citizen.”

“V.M.L. is not prohibited from entering the United States,” the DOJ lawyers said in the court filing.

Before the court responded to the habeas petition and a motion for temporary restraining order, the 2-year old, along with her mother and sister, were deported to Honduras, according to court filings.

“That family filed a habeas corpus petition and motion for a temporary restraining order, which was never ruled on because of their rapid early-morning deportation,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement.

The ACLU said that the 2-year old and two other U.S. citizen children in a separate case, were deported from the U.S. “under deeply troubling circumstances that raise serious due process concerns.”

In his April 25 order, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty said he tried to reach the 2-year-old’s mother over the phone, to ascertain whether she, in fact, wanted her child deported with her, as the government had contended, but was told by government attorneys that wouldn’t be possible because the mother had just been released in Honduras.

Doughty scheduled a hearing in the case for May 16, saying he was taking the step in “the interest of dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”

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