The November incident sparked outrage among immigrant rights groups.
SEATTLE — A 6-year-old Venezuelan girl named Victoria walked into a Washington courthouse Friday surrounded by her parents and lawyers, after federal authorities had originally summoned her to immigration court alone in November.
A judge granted a partial victory to advocates when he agreed to attach Victoria's case to her mother's, though her entire family's cases have not yet been fully consolidated.
Immigration advocates and community members organized a rally outside the courthouse, blasting Victoria's favorite song as she climbed the courthouse steps.
"It's just very disturbing, and shouldn't be a thing that happens," said Kasandra Seda of the International Migrants Alliance, one of the key organizers behind the effort to support Victoria.
Victoria and her family came to the United States together seeking asylum. But in November, immigration officials summoned her to court alone, separate from her parents. KING 5 reached out to federal authorities, inquiring about why the cases were split, but have not received an explanation yet.
Seda says Victoria was not alone in that situation; approximately ten other children faced similar circumstances during that same November hearing.
"From what we've been learning, it sounds like funding has been cut," she said.
In 2025, the Trump Administration moved to cut federal funding for legal representation programs assisting unaccompanied immigrant minors.
Without legal representation that November, Victoria waited hours in the courtroom before being seen by a judge. Advocates scrambled that day to secure a letter confirming they were searching for an attorney. The judge instructed them to return in February with a lawyer. They delivered. Through grassroots organizing, advocates assembled a legal team for Victoria. On Friday, those lawyers stood beside her in court.
After more than an hour, the legal team emerged with news of a breakthrough.
"It is a huge, huge win that we were able to get Victoria's case attached to her mother's," Seda said.
But advocates say the fight is not over. They are now pushing to consolidate the entire family's immigration cases into one and say they will not stop until that goal is achieved.