Relatives of an eight-year-old Haitian boy who was taken into custody by federal immigration authorities in California are unable to locate the child, according to a Democratic lawmaker who described the case as “despicable”.

Video obtained by NBC News shows the boy being led away by three armed officials after he was summoned to what his family said was a routine immigration appointment in San Diego on 4 November.

Juan Vargas, a California Democratic congressman, told NBC on Monday that the third-grader’s whereabouts are unknown – and that he was working to try to reunite him with loved ones.

“Targeting a child, taking them away from their community and classmates, and forcing them into detention is despicable.…