As Democrats continue to fumble for political traction against the Trump administration, they’ve clung tightly to immigration narratives — but often at the expense of reality. Once again, they’re seizing on a misleading story about a supposed deportation of a two-year-old U.S. citizen, weaponizing emotional headlines without delivering the full context. But thanks to voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the misleading framing is being dismantled with cold, hard facts.
On Sunday’s Meet the Press, Rubio forcefully corrected the record. The three U.S. citizen children at the center of the controversy — ages two, four, and seven — were not deported. Their mothers, who were illegally in the country, were deported. The children simply accompanied their parents—a choice allowed and facilitated by U.S. immigration authorities.
“You make it sound like ICE agents kicked down the door, grabbed the two-year-old, and threw him on an airplane!” Rubio said, frustration evident. “That’s misleading! That’s just not true.”
.@SecRubio nukes @kwelkernbc on the latest misleading Fake News hoax: “Three U.S. citizens ages 4, 7, and 2 were not deported — their mothers, who were illegally in this country, were deported. The children went with their mothers! … The parents make that choice.” pic.twitter.com/IJt1Lz1xWN
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 27, 2025
And he was right to point out the media’s double bind. Had immigration authorities insisted that the children stay behind, the headlines would have screamed “Child separated from mother!” and Democrats would have lit up the airwaves for weeks. It’s a narrative trap: allow the children to stay with their parents, and get accused of “deporting” U.S. citizens; separate them, and get accused of cruelty. Either way, outrage is the goal.
Legal analyst Margot Cleveland added more critical details: the two-year-old stayed with the mother in a hotel, and the U.S. government provided free transportation to accompany her. Furthermore, the children can return to the United States at any time — family arrangements are up to the families themselves, not immigration enforcement. These aren’t deportations of citizens. They’re parental decisions within the legal framework.
Few additional points: Mother was in “custody” but ICE wasn’t holding custody of 2 year old, but rather allowed mother to keep her 2 year old with her in the hotel in which was staying pending deportation. 1/ https://t.co/QaEfSxhthj
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) April 26, 2025
Meanwhile, Democrats continue clinging to unpopular positions, attaching themselves to extreme cases like that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the Wisconsin judge arrested for allegedly helping an illegal immigrant evade ICE agents. Public support for immigration enforcement remains strong, yet Democrats plant themselves firmly on the 20% side of an 80/20 issue.
A court hearing has been scheduled for May 16 to address any lingering questions in the two-year-old’s case. But one thing is already clear: yet again, the media ran with a half-told story that fits their narrative, not the facts.
