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The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Reprieve for critically ill Mexican girl, 4, who could have died within days if deported under Trump order
The family of a four-year-old girl from California who is suffering from a rare disease will be spared deportation so that she can continue to receive life-saving medical treatment in the U.S. 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.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Girl, 4, receiving treatment in L.A. faces life-threatening risk of deportation to Mexico
The family of a darling 4-year-old girl with a severe medical condition, who have been living in the U.S. legally for two years, are in a struggle to save their daughter's life since being ordered to self-deport back to Mexico where the lifesaving treatment she desperately needs is unavailable. On the surface, Sofia, which is a pseudonym to protect her identity, looks like a healthy, happy young girl, but the 4-year-old was born prematurely and suffers from short bowel syndrome, a condition that does not allow her body to absorb nutrition on its own. The young family was allowed to come to the U.S. through a temporary humanitarian permission process, so that Sofia has access to treatment that's keeping her alive. 'She is living her life as normal as possible for a girl her age,' her mother, Deysi Vargas, told KTLA's Carlos Saucedo in Spanish. 'It's all thanks to the medical treatment she's receiving in this country. Sofia requires intravenous nutrition 14 hours a day, and the family travels from Bakersfield, where her parents now live and work, to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles every six weeks for treatment. 'This type of treatment doesn't exist in my country,' her mother explained. As the Trump Administration cracks down on immigration, Sofia's medical protection has been revoked, and the family has been ordered to leave the U.S. on their own accord. Family of woman found dead in L.A. homeless encampment say questions remain 'The federal government sent the family notices in April this year, canceling their humanitarian parole, which was otherwise valid until July,' Gina Amato, Directing Attorney at Public Counsel's Immigration Rights Project, told KTLA. 'They also revoked the work permits of the child's parents.' The family, with the help of their attorneys, are fighting the deportation notice because experts say pausing Sofia's treatment puts her life at dire risk. 'The doctors at Children's Hospital L.A. said if the child's treatment is interrupted, she will die within days,' Amato explained. 'It's not speculative. It's that she will die within days.' The family is desperately hoping the courts will step in and allow the 4-year-old and her parents to stay, so that she has a fighting chance at life. 'I'm grateful that immigration officials us permission to come to the U.S. in the first place,' her said. 'But her condition is not temporary. A GoFundMe organized for to help the young family can be found here. Sofia's mother and attorneys are scheduled to speak at a press conference tomorrow about the devastating threat deportation poses for the 4-year-old. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
