Girl's Trauma After Border Separation

0:00It's April 5, Canada News Today starts now, AI-powered and ready. A three-year-old girl crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her mom last September 16, got separated during processing and ended up in federal, foster care in Texas. Her dad, a legal permanent resident here, waited five full months to get her back, only to find out through court that she'd been sexually abused by. An older kid in the Harlingen-Foster home, those delays came from Trump administration changes that ramped up sponsor checks, like endless fingerprint weights and home visits dragging our releases for kids in custody. The office of refugee resettlement placed her there after splitting her from mom, but stalled on reuniting the family despite the dad's efforts. The father was furious, saying quicker action could have prevented it, officials just called it an accident and stonewalled him on details. Caregiver spotted issues like her underwear on backward, leading to a forensic exam, and the accused kid got removed.

1:01Now lawyers are filing more habeas petitions to force releases up from none before this admin. After attorneys pushed with a petition in February, the government finally did fingerprints, DNA, and a home check, then released her two days later. Legal groups say these policies flat laws mitigate kids' home fast, turning separations into long-term trauma. The family's in Chicago now with grandparents, but the little girls got nightmares and gets upset easy, changes her dad never saw before. Her immigration case drags on, highlighting how these custody fights keep hurting the most vulnerable kids.