Latest news with #GinaAmatoLough
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
4-year-old battling rare health condition allowed to stay in U.S.
A Mexican family in Los Angeles has been allowed to stay in the United States to receive lifesaving treatment for their 4-year-old daughter, Sofia. For the past month, the girl's mother Deysi Vargas and her attorneys pleaded with President Trump's administration to reinstate their humanitarian parole after immigration services revoked their emergency visa on April 11. Last week, Gina Amato Lough, Directing Attorney at Public Counsel, said they received a subsequent notice a few weeks later and a third one in May, saying they were "no longer in lawful status" and were vulnerable to deportation. Sofia's medical team told the family that if she does not continue to receive treatment, she could die in a matter of days, according to Vargas. The equipment used in Sofia's treatment is not available outside of the U.S. After their public pleas and letters to President Trump, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services granted a one-year humanitarian parole beginning on June 2. "We are profoundly grateful that USCIS acted swiftly to grant Sofia and her mother one year of humanitarian parole," Amato Lough said. "By moving quickly, the agency has ensured that a four‑year‑old girl can continue receiving her life-saving medical treatment. We commend USCIS for its responsiveness and for recognizing the urgency of this situation. " The Los Angeles Times first reported that Sofia is receiving treatment for a rare condition called short bowel syndrome, which requires her to receive 14 hours' worth of intravenous nutrition per day. Vargas said that when Sofia was 7 months old, she was diagnosed with the condition in Mexico and was told by doctors she had to come to the U.S. to receive life-saving care. "Sofia's story is one of many, but life‑or‑death decisions like hers aren't always visible," Amato Lough said. "Many families who seek refuge in the United States are fleeing threats you can't see and, while their wounds may be invisible, the danger they face is every bit as real."
Sky News
7 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Seriously ill girl ordered to leave US gets reprieve after warning she could die within days
A seriously ill girl ordered to leave the US has been given a year's reprieve after warnings she could die within days if her treatment was stopped. Four-year-old Sofia, whose real name we are not using, is being treated at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She uses a backpack that feeds her nutrients she can't absorb naturally - and the cutting-edge treatment is only available in the US. Sofia was born with short bowel syndrome, a debilitating life-threatening condition. She and her mother, Deysi, entered the US legally in July 2023 and were granted humanitarian parole to access medical care for two years. In April - three months into the Trump presidency - the family got a letter saying their humanitarian parole was being revoked and they had to return immediately to Mexico. Lawyers for the family said doctors had warned she could die "within days" if her treatment was interrupted. "We're sending them to die," lawyer Gina Amato Lough told Sky News last week. "That's not justice and it doesn't make us any safer. We cannot let our country turn its back on this child," said Ms Lough. They wrote to officials to plead the family's case - and it seems to have worked. Her mother has now received an approval notice for humanitarian parole for another year. The move will be a relief for Deysi, who said she had "so much anxiety" over whether they would be deported and her daughter's life put at risk. "It's always in my mind that my daughter can die," she said. "It may not sound real, but it is really what will happen if my daughter is not connected to her treatment." The Department of Homeland Security said in a previous statement that claims the family were being deported were false. "This family applied for humanitarian parole on May 14, 2025, and the application is still being considered," it said.
