Mother sues Trump administration after being separated from son, 7, in US immigration crackdown

A mother from Guatemala is suing the Trump administration after she was separated from her seven-year-old son as a result of the US crackdown on illegal immigrants.

Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia claims her terrified son, Darwin, was taken from her more than a month ago when she was caught in Arizona trying to cross the border from Mexico.

Ms Mejia-Mejia, 38, who is seeking asylum in the US after allegedly facing death threats from her abusive husband, says the separation is a violation of her human rights.

In the lawsuit, she accuses border agents of taking her Darwin without offering any explanation.

Although she was released from custody last week without being charged with a crime, she has still not been reunited with her son, who she thinks is being kept in a shelter in Arizona.

“It’s horrible to have your child taken away from you, and it’s not just me. There are many other mothers who are crying,” she said in an interview. “No one will tell me where he is.”

According to the suit, which was filed in Washington federal district court, since they were separated Ms Mejia-Mejia has talked to her son once, by phone, when he sounded distressed.