A defendant appeared in a San Antonio immigration court last month to defend his rights to live in this country, according to ProPublica. He was just 6 years old.
When the bailiff prompted the young man for his name, he responded, “Wilder Hilario Maldonado Cabrera.”
Another immigration lawyer, Thelma R. Garcia, was present defending other clients, and, thankfully, she volunteered to represent Cabrera. Both fluent in Spanish, she turned to the young man and asked for his age.
Originally from El Salvador, Cabrera ultimately became the youngest defendant on the juvenile agenda that day. Furthermore, the child was one of the few remaining adolescents left in government custody who had been affected by President Trump’s harsh zero-tolerance policy. Many of these children who have been taken away from parental care are still awaiting their fate and whether they will see their parents again, per ProPublica.
Source: Six-Year-Old Defendant Represents Himself In Immigration Asylum Hearing
