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Washington Post
29-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Democrats urge DHS to allow 4-year-old to stay in U.S. for lifesaving care
Deysi Vargas's 4-year-old daughter sleeps tethered to a special intravenous feeding system — a machine that pumps nutrients through a tube into her tiny body throughout the night. Four times each day, Vargas sets up a second, portable feeding system that delivers additional nutrients through a tube into her stomach. This delicate routine keeps the girl, who has short bowel syndrome — a condition in which the body cannot absorb enough nutrients from food — alive, Vargas said. But the 28-year-old mother, who hails from Oaxaca, Mexico, now fears it could end at any moment. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the family's humanitarian parole, warning them in a letter: 'It is time for you to leave the United States.' Without continued access to her treatment at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, her attorneys and doctor warn, the girl could die within days. The decision, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times, has triggered national outrage and urgent pleas from lawmakers. On Thursday, 38 Democratic members of Congress — including California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, and prominent progressives like Reps. Luz Rivas, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pramila Jayapal and Ted Lieu — sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem urging her to reverse the decision. 'It is our duty to protect the sick, vulnerable, and defenseless,' the lawmakers wrote. The family entered the United States legally in 2023 through an appointment secured through the Biden administration's CBP One app, said their attorney, Gina Amato Lough. On July 30, 2023, Vargas, her husband and daughter were granted humanitarian parole — which allows individuals to temporarily live in the country for urgent humanitarian reasons — for two years, she said. As one of his first acts in office, President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 signed an executive order to restrict eligibility for parole, a status that allows migrants to live in the United States for limited periods of time. The Biden administration had expanded its use to help limit illegal border crossings. By contrast, Trump said parole should be 'exercised on only a case-by-case basis ... and in all circumstances only when an individual alien demonstrates urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit derived from their particular continued presence.' In their letter, the lawmakers made the case that the family met the stricter criteria. 'We believe this family's situation clearly meets the need for humanitarian aid and urge you and this Administration to reconsider its decision,' they wrote. One of the Democrats who signed the letter, Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, also posted on X about the situation: 'Trump wants to deport a four-year-old who could die from a life-threatening medical condition if her treatment is interrupted. How does this cruelty make us a stronger nation?' It's unclear whether DHS plans to respond to the lawmakers' letter. In a statement to The Washington Post, a senior DHS official said, 'Any reporting that Vargas and her family are actively being deported are FALSE. This family applied with USCIS for humanitarian parole on May 14, 2025, and the application is still being considered.' Although the family has not been actively targeted for deportation — meaning, they have not received a final removal order or been placed in proceedings — they received three letters stating that their humanitarian parole, which had originally been granted through July 2025, had been revoked, said Amato Lough. The only reason they filed a new application for humanitarian parole on May 14, she noted, was because their status was terminated 'prematurely.' The filing came just one day after Vargas received notice that her work authorization had also been canceled. Amato Lough added that on Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services contacted the family for the first time to begin scheduling biometrics appointments.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
4-year-old girl fighting for life at Children's Hospital Los Angeles facing deportation order
The family of a four-year-girl currently fighting for her life at Children's Hospital Los Angeles is now facing a deportation order as they hope to stay in the country and continue receiving treatment. Sofia has a rare condition called short bowel syndrome, which requires 14 hours worth of intravenous nutrition per day. She was diagnosed as a baby in her home country of Mexico, where doctors told her she had to come to the United States for life-saving care. The family received an emergency visa in 2023, allowing them to travel to Los Angeles where she's been getting treatment since. That status is now in limbo, however, after they received a letter saying that their legal status had changed. Attorneys representing Sofia Vargas and her family say that if they do leave the hospital, she'll only have days to live. "The doctors have said unequivocally that if this child's treatment is interrupted, that she will die within a matter of days," said Gina Amato, one of a group of attorneys working for the family without pay. "So yes. They must remain in the United States." As they face the uncertain future, they're hoping to figure out why their status was suddenly revoked. "They were not given any reason as to why. There's no allegations that they have violated the rules or anything like that," Amato said. "They were supposed to have parole through the end of July." Vargas' mother, Deysi, is working with attorneys to do anything they can to remain in the country. She's trying to remain strong for her daughter, but knows that the stakes couldn't be higher. "If we go back to Mexico, Sofia will be back in the hospital getting the treatment that will not be good for her," Vargas said in Spanish. "Her life will be at risk." Attorneys are holding out hope that the letter sent to Vargas was a mistake, similar to the one that one of the others representing Vargas wrongfully received back in April. "These are being sent out indiscriminately across the country, but to see it sent to a family whose four-year-old child depends on this life-saving treatment is really shocking," Amato said. Children's Hospital officials say that they cannot comment on the matter. A press conference on the next steps for the family is expected to be held on Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.
