DHS hits back at James Talarico after Democrat claims ICE 'kidnapped' 5-year-old boy deported with father
Homeland Security Secretary Mullin says James Talarico "won't tell the full story" about the deportation of a 5-year-old boy and his father from Texas.
TL;DR
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressed criticism from James Talarico concerning the deportation of a 5-year-old boy and his father.
- Talarico claimed ICE 'kidnapped' the boy, Liam Tadeo, and stated he should have been in kindergarten instead of a 'prison camp'.
- Mullin stated that Talarico is not telling the full story and that the deportation was at the father's request.
- Mullin emphasized that ICE does not separate families and that parents are given options regarding their children during deportation proceedings.
- The father and son were deported together from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center.
- The father, Victor Martinez Nieto, had previously been arrested in November 2025 and deported in February, later reentering the U.S. illegally.