Reprieve for critically ill Mexican girl, 4, who could have died within days if deported under Trump order
The family was granted temporary humanitarian permission to enter the U.S. from her home country of Mexico in 2023 after the little girl, Sofia, urgently needed treatment for short bowel syndrome, a rare condition that stops her from absorbing nutrients in food. The treatment she required was not available in Mexico and she condition was worsening, according to the family's lawyers.
The family was targeted for deportation by the Trump administration, according to their lawyers. However, following media reports highlighting her case, lawmakers organized to demand she be given the chance to stay for humanitarian reasons.
In April, the girl's mother, Deysi Vargas, learned that her humanitarian protections and her own permission to legally work in the U.S. was being revoked by the Trump administration, and a letter informing of her of that change advised her to voluntarily leave or else "the federal government will find you."
Sofia's condition requires her to receive regular medical treatments that force her to be hooked up to an intravenous feeding system for 14 hours at night. Only a specialist team from Children's Hospital Los Angeles can oversee her medical needs. Her doctors at the hospital told the Los Angeles Times that she could die within days of stopping her treatments.
'By moving quickly, the agency has ensured that a four‑year‑old girl can continue receiving the specialized medical treatment that keeps her alive,' the family's attorney, Rebecca Brown of the nonprofit Public Counsel, told the LA Times. However, many families still face harm under the sweeping policy to do away with humanitarian parole. We ask the government to ensure that no one be put in harm's way.'
A group of 38 congressional Democrats, including California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, gathered to condemn her scheduled deportation and advocate on the family's behalf.
The family learned on Monday via a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service that they had been granted "Humanitarian Parole for a period of one year."
The Trump administration previously denied that the girl was being deported after her story became national news. Last week, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The Independent via email that the family's application for humanitarian parole was "still being considered."
'Any reporting that Vargas and her family are actively being deported are FALSE,' the official said. 'This family applied with USCIS for humanitarian parole on May 14, 2025, and the application is still being considered.'
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