WASHINGTON – The family of a 4-year-old Bakersfield girl with a rare condition is recognized for humanitarian protection from deportation and can continue receiving life-saving treatment in the United States.
The light letter of the girl, identified by the Times by her initials, SGV, elicited the rage of the public and defended dozens of lawmakers on her behalf. The Mexican-born girl and her parents originally received temporary permission to legally enter the United States through Tijuana in 2023.
The Trump administration has retracted the legal protections of SGV and her parents, making them vulnerable to deportation. A doctor at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital said he could die within days of losing medical care for short bowel syndrome.
“By moving quickly, the agency has made it possible for the four-year-old to continue receiving professional medical care that will keep her alive,” said Rebecca Brown, a family lawyer for a nonprofit public advisor. “However, many families still face harm under a drastic policy to abolish humanitarian parole. We ask the government not to harm anyone.”
Last week, 38 Congressional Democrats, including California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, condemned the end of family status and urged the Department of Homeland Security to restore it.
“If there is no action, the SGV will die,” the lawmaker wrote to DHS secretary Kristi Noem on May 29th. “We encourage a quick response from your department and a quick decision to expand this family’s legal status in the United States,” the lawmaker wrote that the family situation “clearly meets the need for humanitarian assistance.”
In a letter to the family and their attorneys on Monday, Carmenpaniagua, representing field office director, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, wrote:
In April, the girl’s mother, Deysi Vargas, was informed by the federal government that their humanitarian protection and permission to work legally had ended. The notice told them to leave voluntarily, otherwise “the federal government will find you.”
The online fundraiser for SGV Care had raised more than $40,000 as of Tuesday.
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