Texas immigration officials stopped and detained a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy on her way from one Texas hospital to another for gallbladder surgery because she and her mother are undocumented, said the Corpus Christie Caller-Times.
Rosamaria Hernandez was on her way from a hospital in Laredo to Corpus Christie for surgery when she and her cousin -- Aurora Cantu, an American citizen -- was stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint, said the girl's mother Felipa Delacruz.
Officers allowed the girl to continue to the hospital with an escort to keep her from escaping and are now reportedly keeping constant watch on the girl's hospital room with the intention of moving her to a detention center when she is healthy enough.
Delacruz told the Caller-Times she wants to see her daughter, but is still in Laredo because of the officers outside Rosamaria's door.
Driscoll Hospital spokesman Ben Castle declined to confirm whether officers had stationed themselves on the medical campus.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are not prohibited from apprehending undocumented immigrants in so-called "sensitive locations," but agency guidelines suggest agents use discretion when making arrests at courthouses, hospitals, churches and schools.