Teen stuck in Honduras during vacation after officials say absent dad needs to sign on his return

HOUSTON -- A Texas mother is fighting to bring her teenage son home after he was detained by immigration in Honduras.

They had no problem leaving the United States, but in trying to come back, they were allegedly told the boy needed consent from both mom and dad to travel despite mom having full custody.

Ingrid Garcia told our Houston sister station, ABC13 Eyewitness News, that her son's father has not been in the picture for over a decade and doesn't pay child support, so this caught her off guard.

Immigration attorney Kim Bruno told Eyewitness News that while this situation is not unheard of, it's rare.

She seems to think the strict enforcement is a consequence of children coming over the border without proper identification and falling prey to trafficking.

There are nearly 2,000 miles of separation between Ingrid Garcia and her son, Jahir. They went to Honduras together, but Jahir's stay was unexpectedly extended.

"I wanna come back," the boy said, telling his mom he missed her and his friends.

Garcia divorced Jahir's father in Honduras and moved with her son to the Houston area when he was just 3 years old.

"I start with nothing. I learned construction and how to build a house," she said.

With blood, sweat, and tears, Garcia built her own American dream. In September, she acquired her citizenship, and in early December, Jahir was granted his visa to travel.

"I was so proud of myself because I did everything. I tried every day to be a good person, and I deserve to stay here," she said.

On Dec. 23, Garcia and her son decided to make the trip to Honduras for the first time in a decade. Happiness quickly turned to panic when Garcia was forced to leave Jahir behind.

"Everybody was crying, my brother, my mom. I was so happy to be in my country," she said. "They said I can't bring my son back because I need permission from his dad, but I told them that I have the custody and he lives with me."

Bruno said those factors don't matter and that authorities have a legal right to keep Jahir behind. The reason for the tight regulations, she says, is part of a bigger issue.

"Let's go back to our borders, our influx of people coming in and our borders being flooded with people bringing children over that we couldn't identify or find who they even belonged to," Bruno said.

Bruno said Garcia will have to get a written notarized letter from Jahir's father permitting his return to the U.S.

"I have been divorced for 10 years, and it hard to have that communication with him," she said.

Her only other avenue is to have her local congressman advocate on her behalf, which is something Bruno says is not an easy process.

For now, Jahir is in the care of his grandmother stuck in a place that isn't home and missing school at Cleveland ISD. Plus, they are both dealing with unexpected health issues.

While stuck in Honduras, Jahir got kidney stones and has to get surgery on Friday. On Monday, Garcia found out she had gallstones and underwent surgery on Wednesday.

Garcia is devastated but determined to close that gap of separation.

Eyewitness News reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. Congressman Dan Crenshaw's Office said they will try to assist and immigration assistance non profit.

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