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Sky News
5 days ago
- General
- Sky News
This gravely ill girl has been ordered to leave the US by the White House - but doctors say she could die within days
In a lawyer's office in downtown Los Angeles, a little girl sits at a desk made for adults - tiny trainers dangling off the edge of a swivel chair. She's surrounded by dozens of TV cameras but has no understanding of why she's suddenly the centre of attention. Sofia, whose real name we are not using, is a gravely ill four-year-old caught in the crosshairs of Donald Trump's sweeping and often indiscriminate immigration policy. The White House has ordered she leaves the US immediately, but Sofia's doctors at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles say that - if she is sent back to her home country of Mexico and her treatment stops - she could die within days. As Sofia places rainbow stickers carefully in a book and plays snap, the lawyers fighting for her to remain in the US speak at a podium on her behalf. "We're sending them to die," Gina Amato Lough, a lawyer for the pro bono firm Public Counsel, says. "That's not justice and it doesn't make us any safer. We cannot let our country turn its back on this child." Sofia wears a backpack for 14 hours at night and four hours during the day which keeps her alive - containing nutrients she can't absorb naturally. It is cutting-edge healthcare only available in the US. She was born with short bowel syndrome, a debilitating and life-threatening condition that meant she spent most of the first two years of her life in hospital. Under the Biden administration, Sofia and her mother Deysi entered the US legally in July 2023 - granted humanitarian parole to access medical care for two years. But in April - three months into Donald Trump's presidency - the 28-year-old received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security, informing her that the family's right to stay in the country was being revoked. "It is time to leave the United States," the first line of the letter reads. "Even before getting the letters, I would hear in the news how many people are being deported, even with humanitarian paroles, and I worried a lot," Deysi says. "I was always walking down the street looking over my shoulder, there is so much fear and so much anxiety, it's very hard. "It's always in my mind that my daughter can die. It may not sound real, but it is really what will happen if my daughter is not connected to her treatment." Sofia's lawyers warn that if there is an interruption to her treatment, her doctors say it could be "fatal within days". The lawyers have written to officials within the Trump administration, but say they haven't heard back yet. "It seems as if nobody noticed that this child is four years old and that she will die without her treatment," Ms Lough says. "And not only have they not responded, but they have continued sending notices to the family verifying that their status has been cancelled and that they are required to leave the United States immediately. "Sofia's doctors have been clear that she will die within days. Deporting this family under these conditions is not only unlawful, it constitutes a moral failure that violates the basic tenets of humanity and decency." In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said: "Any reporting that [the family] are actively being deported are FALSE. This family applied for humanitarian parole on May 14, 2025, and the application is still being considered." When approached by Sky News, Trump's border czar Tom Homan denied specific knowledge of Sofia's case, but said he would instruct the White House press office to "look into" the circumstances. For now, Sofia is a tiny symbol of the human casualties of often unbending and ruthless immigration policy.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump administration denies critically ill 4-year-old is being deported and says humanitarian request under consideration
The Department of Homeland Security has denied that a critically ill 4-year-old girl is being actively deported to Mexico after the family launched a campaign about their case. Lawyers acting on behalf of Deysi Vargas and her daughter Sofia said that the family's humanitarian parole, granted in July 2023, was prematurely revoked by the Trump administration on April 11. 'They received a subsequent notice weeks later, and a third notice in May verifying that they are no longer in lawful status and are now vulnerable to deportation,' Gina Amato, directing attorney of the Immigrants Rights Project at Public Counsel, said at a press conference Wednesday. 'The notices also ordered the family to leave the United States immediately.' The family and her doctor said Sofia 'could die within days' if treatment for a rare condition is paused. But the department said that the family's application for humanitarian parole was 'still being considered' in a statement to The Independent. '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.' Amato said that lawyers wrote to immigration officials soon after they received the case, but heard nothing from the Trump administration. Lawyers filed a new application for humanitarian parole in May and still had not heard back, Amato said. 'We did our best to give them the benefit of the doubt and let them know that we think they made an error, that we have a 4-year-old child whose life is in danger and we asked them to reconsider their decision to terminate humanitarian parole,' Amato said. 'We have not heard anything back. We subsequently filed new applications for humanitarian parole, and similarly, have not received a response.' The family was granted temporary humanitarian permission to enter the U.S. from her home country of Mexico in 2023 after 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 was quickly deteriorating, her lawyers said. Sofia's treatment, which requires being hooked to an intravenous feeding system for 14 hours at night, can only be administered and overseen by a specialist team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 'This is a textbook example of medical need,' the family's attorney Rebecca Brown said Tuesday. 'This child will die and there's no sense for that to happen. It would just be a cruel sacrifice.' The family is currently living in Bakersfield, California, just over 100 miles north of Los Angeles and came to the U.S. legally in 2023 after signing up to the Biden administration's CBP One app. They received an appointment with border agents in Tijuana to receive two-year protection from deportation and were swiftly taken to a hospital in San Diego for urgent treatment. A year later, Sofia was referred to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, which has one of the highest-ranked programs for gastroenterology in the U.S. Under their care, by September 2024, Sofia was discharged and could receive treatment in the comfort of her home. Meanwhile, her parents were working hard to hold down odd jobs in Bakersfield. Sofia's care is still gruelling. In addition to the 14 hours a night hooked up to the IV, Vargas has to administer medication that goes into her daughter's stomach through a gastric tube four times a day. At preschool, a school nurse has to administer nutrition daily.
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Trump administration denies critically ill 4-year-old is being deported and says humanitarian request under consideration
The Department of Homeland Security has denied that a critically ill 4-year-old girl is being actively deported to Mexico after the family launched a campaign about their case. Lawyers acting on behalf of Deysi Vargas and her daughter Sofia said that the family's humanitarian parole, granted in July 2023, was prematurely revoked by the Trump administration on April 11. 'They received a subsequent notice weeks later, and a third notice in May verifying that they are no longer in lawful status and are now vulnerable to deportation,' Gina Amato, directing attorney of the Immigrants Rights Project at Public Counsel, said at a press conference Wednesday. 'The notices also ordered the family to leave the United States immediately.' The family and her doctor said Sofia 'could die within days' if treatment for a rare condition is paused. But the department said that the family's application for humanitarian parole was 'still being considered' in a statement to The Independent. '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.' Amato said that lawyers wrote to immigration officials soon after they received the case, but heard nothing from the Trump administration. Lawyers filed a new application for humanitarian parole in May and still had not heard back, Amato said. 'We did our best to give them the benefit of the doubt and let them know that we think they made an error, that we have a 4-year-old child whose life is in danger and we asked them to reconsider their decision to terminate humanitarian parole,' Amato said. 'We have not heard anything back. We subsequently filed new applications for humanitarian parole, and similarly, have not received a response.' The family was granted temporary humanitarian permission to enter the U.S. from her home country of Mexico in 2023 after 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 was quickly deteriorating, her lawyers said. Sofia's treatment, which requires being hooked to an intravenous feeding system for 14 hours at night, can only be administered and overseen by a specialist team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 'This is a textbook example of medical need,' the family's attorney Rebecca Brown said Tuesday. 'This child will die and there's no sense for that to happen. It would just be a cruel sacrifice.' The family is currently living in Bakersfield, California, just over 100 miles north of Los Angeles and came to the U.S. legally in 2023 after signing up to the Biden administration's CBP One app. They received an appointment with border agents in Tijuana to receive two-year protection from deportation and were swiftly taken to a hospital in San Diego for urgent treatment. A year later, Sofia was referred to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, which has one of the highest-ranked programs for gastroenterology in the U.S. Under their care, by September 2024, Sofia was discharged and could receive treatment in the comfort of her home. Meanwhile, her parents were working hard to hold down odd jobs in Bakersfield. Sofia's care is still gruelling. In addition to the 14 hours a night hooked up to the IV, Vargas has to administer medication that goes into her daughter's stomach through a gastric tube four times a day. At preschool, a school nurse has to administer nutrition daily.
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Mother of 4-year-old battling rare health condition asks Trump administration to reinstate humanitarian parole
The mother of a 4-year-old who is battling a rare health condition and is receiving life-saving treatment at Children's Hospital Los Angeles is asking the Trump administration to reinstate their humanitarian parole. At a news conference on Wednesday morning, Deysi Vargas, Sofa Villa's mother, said she is asking the government to allow her family to remain in the U.S. in order to save her daughter's life. Vargas stated that she relies solely on the humanitarian parole to give her daughter a chance to experience things like other children. The family's attorneys stated they are using a pseudonym to protect Sofia's privacy. "If my daughter does not receive this treatment, she will have to remain hospitalized or she will die," Vargas said in Spanish. 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. In 2023, the family received an emergency visa through humanitarian parole, allowing them to travel to Los Angeles to receive treatment. Gina Amato Lough, Directing Attorney at Public Counsel, told reporters that on April 11, Vargas received a notice from immigration services letting her know that her family's humanitarian parole and work permits were being revoked. Amato Lough 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 are vulnerable to deportation. "Deporting this family under these conditions is not only unlawful, but it constitutes a moral failure that violates the basic tenets of humanity and decency," Amato Lough said. Vargas said Sofia's medical team has informed them that if she does not continue to receive treatment, she could die in a matter of days. The equipment used in Sofia's treatment is not available outside of the U.S. and Amato Lough stressed the importance of the family remaining in the country. Amato Lough said in May her legal team sent letters to President Trump asking his administration to reconsider its decision to revoke Vargas' parole, but they have not received a response. In the meantime, she explained they have submitted new applications for humanitarian parole. "We truly hope that the administration will recognize the medical need here and grant humanitarian parole to this deserving family," said Rebecca Brown, one of the family's attorneys. Brown called the Trump administration's effort to eradicate humanitarian parole cruel. She said it is impacting people across the U.S. who are in the country for various lifesaving reasons. Vargas said she plans to continue fighting the legal battle and knows that deportation is a death sentence for her family. She said she's holding onto her faith to help her through this difficult situation.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Family of four-year-old who would ‘die within days' fighting deportation from US to Mexico
The family of a four-year-old girl who is receiving life-saving treatment in the United States are fighting against deportation, as her medical team warns she will likely die 'within days' if forced to return to Mexico. Deysi Vargas, her husband and their daughter – whom lawyers identified by the pseudonym Sofia – came to the US in 2023, receiving permission to enter the US on humanitarian grounds to seek medical care. Sofia suffers from short bowel syndrome, requiring specialized care that includes IV treatments for 14 hours a day. She has seen significant improvement since arriving in the US and obtaining care at Children's hospital Los Angeles, her mother said. But in April, Donald Trump's administration terminated the family's legal status and ordered them to self-deport, which would have grave consequences for Sofia. 'Sofia's doctors have been clear she will die within days,' Gina Amato, the directing attorney of Public Counsel's Immigrants' Rights Project, which is representing the family. 'Deporting this family under these conditions is not only unlawful – it constitutes a moral failure that violates the basic tents of humanity and decency.' The family's attorney has sought to have the administration reverse its decision and restore humanitarian parole, a temporary status granted to people on urgent humanitarian grounds, citing Sofia's dire need for care. The family has not received a response. The legal status the family previously received saved Sofia's life, her mother said at a press conference on Wednesday, as her curly-haired daughter sat nearby, feet dangling off a chair while she played with stickers. Sofia was born with her condition and, while in Mexico, was hospitalized constantly and did not improve, Vargas said. 'Now with the help she's received in the United States, my daughter has an opportunity to get out of the hospital, know the world and live like a normal girl of four years,' she said through a translator. Sofia currently receives nutrition intravenously as well as through a feeding tube, Amato said, but that treatment is not available abroad because the equipment cannot be taken outside the US. While her condition has significantly improved, Sofia cannot yet survive without the treatment she receives from the hospital, her mother said. Humanitarian parole was made for people like Vargas and Sofia, the family's lawyer, Rebecca Brown, said, adding that she came to the US legally – applying to enter the country and waiting until her application was approved before entering. If the government conducted an individualized assessment, as required by law, they would see the need for Sofia to remain in the US, Brown said. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Amato argued the case was a symbol of 'the recklessness of this administration's deportation policies'. 'To suddenly yank away that welcome mat, take away Sofia's lifesaving care and quite literally risk her life is a cruel betrayal of our nation's values and an affront to our shared humanity,' Amato said, adding that the government's policies are endangering many immigrants seeking refuge. 'These are people coming to us for protection and instead we're sending them to die.'
