New Mexico Attorney General sues state foster agency over teen forced across border

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has sued the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department, alleging that staff took a 15-year-old American to the Texas border and forced him to cross into Mexico to join his mother, a Mexican national who was previously deported. The complaint, filed July 28, says the boy was left on the border after running back into the U.S., and that U.S. Customs and Border Protection urged his return, which the department ignored, calling the case a “Texas problem.”

Torrez is requesting a temporary restraining order to block any future child-reunifications that involve sending minors abroad without judicial clearance. The teenager, who suffers from a heart condition, is still residing in Mexico with his mother, and the state alleges CYFD failed to ensure his medical care after the crossing. CYFD disputes the allegations, saying the mother requested the reunion and that safety assessments were completed. The case follows a broader DOJ report on systemic failures within New Mexico’s child-welfare system.