4-year-old battling rare health condition granted permission to stay in U.S. on humanitarian parole

A Mexican family in Los Angeles has been given permission to stay in the United States in order to receive lifesaving treatment for their 4-year-old daughter, the family’s attorneys announced Tuesday. 

For the past month, the girl’s mother, Deysi Vargas, and her attorneys have pleaded with the Trump administration to reinstate their humanitarian parole after immigration services revoked the family’s emergency visa back on April 11. 

Last week, Gina Amato Lough, one of the family’s attorneys, said in a press conference that the family received a subsequent notice a few weeks later and a third such notice in May informing them that they were “no longer in lawful status” and vulnerable to deportation.

Sofia, a pseudonym used to protect the girl’s identity, has been receiving lifesaving treatment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the equipment used in her treatment is not available outside of the U.S., her attorneys say.     

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. 

On Tuesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted a one-year humanitarian parole that took effect June 2, attorneys said in a news release.

The decision to extend parole followed a “biometrics appointment” Friday with Sofia and Vargas at the USCIS field office in Bakersfield, attorneys said. Bakersfield is located about 100 miles north of L.A. 

“We are profoundly grateful that USCIS acted swiftly to grant Sofia and her mother one year of humanitarian parole,” Amato Lough said in a statement. “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.”