6-year-old with leukemia held about a month in ICE detention
A 6-year-old Honduran boy with leukemia was arrested with his mother and sister outside a Los Angeles courtroom and held a month in Texas, missing a medical appointment. He showed trauma symptoms after returning home.
Jul 4, 2025Los Angeles, CACountry of origin: Honduras

N.M.Z., a 6-year-old Honduran boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was arrested by ICE agents along with his mother and 9-year-old sister outside a Los Angeles immigration courtroom on May 29, 2025, following an asylum hearing. He missed a scheduled medical appointment for worsening leukemia symptoms and was transported with his family to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, where he developed easy bruising, bone pain, and loss of appetite during roughly a month in custody. Attorneys from Columbia Law School and the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit arguing the arrests violated the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. ICE released the family without a court order, transferring them to a South Texas shelter before flying them to Los Angeles on July 2, 2025, where they reunited with relatives. The Department of Homeland Security said the boy had been examined multiple times in custody and denied medical neglect, while attorneys said public pressure contributed to the release; after returning home, the child showed severe trauma symptoms, including hiding from strangers and fear of anyone in uniform.
Timeline
Tags
Sources
- NBC News
- ICE arrested a 6-year-old boy with leukemia at an LA immigration court. His family is suing
LAist·Jun 27, 2025·archived copy
- ICE detains boy, 6, battling leukemia inside L.A. courthouse; mother suing for release
KTLA·Jun 27, 2025·archived copy
- 6-Year-Old Boy With Leukemia Arrested By ICE Outside SoCal Courtroom Misses Medical Treatment
Patch·Jun 28, 2025·archived copy
Show 5 more sources ↓Show fewer sources ↑
- ICE Arrested a 6-Year-Old Boy With Leukemia at Immigration Court. His Family Is Suing
- After Detention, Families Stranded in Border Town Face Harrowing Journey Home
The Marshall Project·Mar 2, 2026·archived copy
- ICE releases 6-year-old with leukemia and his family from detention following lawsuit
TPR·Jul 3, 2025
- 6-year-old with leukemia detained by ICE. Then this happens
Hindustan Times·Jul 5, 2025
- Lawsuit: 6-Year-Old with Leukemia Detained in Immigration Custody After Family`s Arrest at Courthouse • Fact In Face • Your right to know. Our job to expose.
Fact in Face·Jun 27, 2025
Loading…
More incidents in California
- Three parents arrested by ICE outside Van Nuys elementary schoolOct 21, 2026 · Van Nuys, CA
- Oakland man hospitalized with broken ribs after ICE tackles him to groundOct 21, 2026 · Oakland, CA
- Santa Rosa man pulled from car at gunpoint by ICE agentsOct 21, 2026 · Santa Rosa, CA
- ICE SUV strikes man filming agents' activity in Woodland, CaliforniaOct 20, 2026 · Woodland, CA
- Masked ICE agents slam San Francisco man to ground, breaking his glassesOct 19, 2026 · San Francisco, CA
- Milton R.R.: Salvadoran man held at gunpoint by ICE agent, claimed citizenshipOct 19, 2026 · San Francisco, CA