South Bay Nine-Year-Old, Father Deported To Honduras: Report

TORRANCE, CA — A nine-year-old South Bay boy and his father, who were detained during an immigration hearing in Texas last month, have been deported to Honduras, according to a report by Univision.

Mártir García Lara, a nine-year-old boy who attended Torrance Elementary School, traveled to Houston, Texas, for an immigration hearing on May 29.

But instead of hearing an update on their immigration status, they were detained, separated and placed in a processing facility in Dilley, Texas.

Just a few days ago, according to Univision's report, Lara and his father were deported back to Honduras.

"I want to see my friends again," Lara told the Spanish broadcasting station. "I miss them a lot."

An ICE spokesperson told Patch last week that Lara and his father entered the U.S. illegally on July 10, 2021. After an immigration judge ordered the nine-year-old and his father to be deported in 2022, they appealed the decision, according to ICE.

The Board of Immigration Appeals, however, dismissed their plea, according to ICE.

"The family unit failed to leave the U.S. as instructed by the immigration judge's order," the ICE spokesperson said. "They exhausted due process and (have) no legal remedies left to pursue."

But Lara's father, Martir Garcia-Banegas, told Univision that authorities were being "cruel" and "inhumane."

The boy's deportation comes amidst a series of actions by the Trump administration targeting hundreds of migrant children and as immigration raids by federal authorities spread across the country.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a press briefing that Homeland Security agents tried to gain access to children at multiple elementary schools in the city.

The Department of Homeland Security told KCAL Newsthat they were there to conduct wellness checks on the students and that they had permission from their guardians, a statement Carvalho maintains is not true.

"If I come across with a certain degree of contempt and anger, I am," Carvahlo said during the press briefing. "What interest should a Homeland Security agent have in a first-grader?"

SEE ALSO: Sen. Padilla Forcibly Removed From DHS Secretary Noem's Conference In LA

Across Southern California, immigration raids have spread, especially in predominantly-Latino communities in Los Angeles, sparking protests across the county

Meanwhile, dozens of Southland mayors have banded together, urging Trump to end immigration raids across Southern California and recall troops assisting the process.

“I’m asking you, please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents,” said Mayor Jessica Ancona of El Monte, who said she was hit by rubber bullets during a raid in her city.

ALSO RELATED: Scenes Of 'Fear And Panic' Prompt Southland Mayors Call For ICE, Soldiers To Get Out

Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.