US border crisis: Police chief condemns decision to deport 11-year-old girl alone - 'Nazi’s enforced their laws as well'

'You don’t separate children from their families! Ever!'

A police chief for a major city in the US rebuked the deportation of an 11-year-old child without her family, invoking references to the Nazi regime on Twitter.

Houston’s Police Chief Art Acevedo slammed Donald Trump’s administration over its hard-line immigration policies along the nation’s southern border after it was reported Laura Maradiaga would be sent back to El Salvador. Immigration groups argued her home had become a death trap when a family member testified against a member of a violent gang.

The child the US-Mexico border with her family earlier in October of last year, as a record number of Central American migrants fled starvation and violence. Records indicate she was not present at a 12 March immigration hearing she was required to attend, leading to her deportation — though it remains unclear whether the family was provided incorrect information or if the records are inaccurate.

“The Nazi’s enforced their laws as well,” the police chief wrote on Friday. “You don’t separate children from their families! Ever!”

“You’d have to kill me to take my child from me simply because I was trying to get them to a better place for a better tomorrow,” he continued, adding, “I am glad to be on the right side of history.”

Immigration courts have been inundated due to the surge in migrant crossing and asylum proceedings.

Meanwhile, the family’s lawyer, Silvia Mintz, has described the deportation notice as an error. “This mistake done by the immigration court has put this family in jeopardy,” she told the Houston Chronicle. “They will be separated if this is not stopped.”

Immigration attorneys are typically provided nearly 30 days to request the re-opening of a case.

The family plans to file motions for a re-opening of the case, the Houston Chronicle reported.

According to the newspaper, the 11-year-old’s mother, Dora Alvarado, was told by court translators to arrive for the 12 March appearance with her 15-year-old, though her younger daughter was not listed on the court docket for the day.

Mr Acevedo described the matter as “heart-wrenching” in another tweet, encouraging people of faith to “speak out” about the child’s possible deportation.

A Go Fund Me has been established to support of the child and her family.

The family has reportedly complied with court orders and attended their appearance dates after being allowed to pursue their asylum cases while remaining in the US.