Honduran woman and children to voluntarily leave U.S. after husband's ICE detention

HOUSTON - A Honduran woman and her five children have decided to voluntarily leave the United States after her husband was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston, despite having no criminal record.

What they're saying:

Angelica Castillo, who arrived in the U.S. seven months ago with her family, faced a turning point when her husband was arrested last month. 

"I’m a bit nervous and scared because of the situation with my two youngest daughters' documentation," Castillo said, expressing her concerns ahead of her immigration court hearing. "But I’m trusting in God, and with his help, we’re going to get through this."

Before the hearing, Castillo was able to speak with her husband, who remains detained. 

"I’m happy because I was able to see him and see that he is doing well," she said. "He says others have been deported, but he is still detained. He gets impatient because he wants to be with his family and see his daughters."

Accompanied by her attorney, Silvia Mintz, Castillo stood before an immigration judge, having already decided to self-deport. The judge granted her request for voluntary departure. 

"Today was a very important day because we were asking the judge to give us pre-conclusion for voluntary departure," Mintz explained. "This means before we even have a hearing on the matter, she wants to leave."

Just before her court appearance, Castillo received a call from her husband, who informed her that he had signed documents for his deportation and would be flown to Honduras in two weeks. The judge gave Castillo until June 26 to leave the country. 

"Soon we will be reunited and give each other a big hug after going through all of this," she said. "I do not want to be here in this country if it’s not with him and all of our kids."

Despite the challenges, Castillo has no regrets but would not undertake the journey again. Her attorney advises undocumented immigrants to attend their court hearings. 

"Don’t be afraid to show up to the court hearings," Mintz urged. "There might be options. It’s worse if they don’t show up and there is an order of deportation in absentia because then they would be in more legal trouble."

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What we know:

Castillo's two youngest daughters do not have their passports. One was born in Mexico and the other was born in Honduras. However, in order to leave the country, both minors need their passports. However, Castillo needs her husband's signature for their daughter, but he is detained and will be deported to Honduras. As for her second-youngest daughter, her father passed away and has not been registered as such in Honduras.

"If she is unable to get that, she can request an authorization to travel from the consulate, that is usually only given in emergency situations, but since the judge kindly granted us voluntary departure for the maximum time allowed under the law, she has a couple of months to get this together," Mintz said.

What's next:

Castillo plans to use the next four months to organize her documentation, allowing her to return to Honduras and reunite with her family.