A US citizen family has received a compensation of $1.5 million after their two children were wrongfully held in custody at the US-Mexico border.
In a recent civil lawsuit ruling, US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel granted compensation to the family involved. The children’s mother was awarded $250,000, while the boy received $175,000 and the girl was granted $1.1 million.
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As they were heading to school, Julia, who was only nine years old at the time, and her 14-year-old brother Oscar were taken into custody on March 18, 2019, at the US-Mexico border. This was their usual route from their home in Tijuana, Mexico to attend school.
According to court documents, the two children are US citizens and were born in the country. Their mother, Thelma Medina Navarro, holds a temporary US border-crossing card and is a Mexican citizen. However, their last names were not disclosed in the court documents.
At the San Ysidro point of entry near San Diego, Julia and her family friends were stopped by US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents as they tried to cross the border. The agents believed that Julia did not match the photo on her passport.
According to the court, the Customs and Border Patrol officer interrogated her alone in a room, which goes against the policy that requires a witness present for the interview of a minor.
Julia found herself in the interrogation room, where officials coerced her into making a false confession. They believed that she was her cousin and suspected that both she and Oscar were involved in smuggling and using false identities.
During the ruling, Judge Curiel expressed his concern over the lack of a clear explanation from the United States regarding Julia’s false confession that she was her cousin. He noted that the confession was never recorded, witnessed, or documented in writing, thus making it impossible to determine why a 9-year-old American citizen would make such a false claim.
Following multiple interview rounds, the authorities separated the children and placed them in cells at the Admissibility Enforcement Unit of the border crossing. Oscar endured a 14-hour detention, while Julia was held for 34 hours.
After being in custody of the Border Patrol, the Mexican consulate and the children’s mother, Thelma Medina Navarro, applied pressure which led to the release of the children. Ms. Navarro had given media interviews to shed light on the situation. Finally, the children were able to return to their families.
According to court documents, Julia suffered from insomnia and nightmares and required counseling after her release from the incident.
After the ruling on Friday, Julia expressed her hope to NBC San Diego that no one would have to go through the same experience again.
