Rep. Greg Casar posted on X about a September 28 immigration hearing in Harlingen, Texas, where CNN reported that 25 children appeared in one courtroom, 15 without a lawyer, and the youngest was 3. A 13-year-old identified as Angel told the judge, “I have no one. I have nothing,” and received a removal order with time to appeal. Casar called the proceedings evil, and replies under the post questioned where the children’s parents were and asked why American children were not mentioned.
Casar’s post does not include courtroom footage. CNN reports: The 13-year-old Angel, who had no attorney, told the judge, “My mom and almost my entire family are here. It’s too dangerous to go back.”
The judge said he did not qualify for asylum and asked, “Would you like to request voluntary departure, or should I issue a removal order?” Angel answered, “I don’t know,” then cried and said, “I have no one. I have nothing.”
The judge replied, “I understand, but based on your answers, US immigration laws are very strict,” and gave Angel until the end of the month to appeal a removal order, according to CNN.
The same report says the judge later asked 15 minors without lawyers, “Is this your first time in immigration court?” and they answered, “Yes,” then asked, “Do any of you want voluntary departure?” No one raised a hand. The public post does not show what happened before or after the hearing.
Casar wrote that the scene is “happening to kids in immigration courts across the country” and called it “evil.” CNN also quoted Lauren Fisher Flores of ProBar, who attended the hearing, saying, “We are witnessing the unraveling of due process protections that have been enshrined in our laws for decades.” The immigration-court agency said it “prioritizes the timely completion of all cases.”
Responses to the Harlingen Courtroom Post
Some replies turned Casar’s wording back on him and pointed to American children. One asked, “Where are your tears for the American kids killed by illegal aliens?”
Another wrote, “What about these AMERICAN kids? They no longer have life. And it’s happening to kids across America. It’s evil.”
A second group put the blame on parents rather than the hearing. One wrote, “It’s evil when parents break the law and have children who suffer the consequences of their parents’ choices.”
Another said, “Their parents put them in this situation,” and a third wrote, “Blame the PARENTS!!!”
Coverage away from X ran in the other direction. An advocate told CNN, “I’ve never witnessed so many removals and to see it happen with children who are standing there completely alone.”
Lauren Fisher Flores of ProBar, who attended the hearing, said, “Children deserve better than a fast-track deportation system.”
A Health and Human Services spokesperson told CNN the office “remains committed to ensuring that every unaccompanied alien child has legal representation in immigration court.”
The Harlingen hearing is now part of a wider argument over how unaccompanied children are handled in immigration court. Casar’s post, and the split response to it, add one more moment to that ongoing debate.
