LOS ANGELES, MAY 28, 2025—For many immigrants, facing deportation means potentially facing death, including asylum seekers and people granted the right to come to the US for medical treatment. In the case of 4-year-old Sofia*, death isn’t potential – it’s practically guaranteed.
Sofia was granted humanitarian parole – the legal right to be in the United States – in order to receive round-the-clock care for short bowel syndrome, a rare condition where the small intestine is shortened or damaged, making it difficult or impossible for the person to absorb nutrients when they eat.
However, in April, the Department of Homeland Security sent Sofia and her parents a letter telling them Sofia’s parole had been revoked immediately and that they must leave the country. They’re desperately hoping to get the decision reversed. If Sofia is sent back to Mexico and can’t get the care she needs, her doctors have confirmed she will die within days.
The team of specialists treating her at a Los Angeles hospital is one of very few in the U.S. that treats this condition for young children. The odds of Sofia receiving the care she needs in Mexico are next to impossible.
Sofia’s mother, Deysi Vargas, was also notified that her work authorization has been terminated, meaning the family has no means to legally make money to pay their bills. Deysi is the family’s sole provider.
“Our country welcomed Sofia so she could receive life-saving treatment,” said Rebecca Brown, Staff Attorney with Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and attorney for the family. “Thanks to the world-class doctors and specialized medical care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Sofia is now thriving and has a future full of hope. To suddenly yank away that welcome mat, take away her life-saving medical care, and force her back to a place where she could die within days is a cruel betrayal of our nation’s word and an affront to our shared humanity.”
In addition to submitting a request for parole, Public Counsel has reached out to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, members of Congress, and local lawmakers in hopes of keeping Sofia alive and in the United States.
“We are hopeful the U.S. government will reinstate our parole so my daughter can get the care she needs,” said Deysi Vargas.
“People come to this country for real, individual reasons,” Brown said. “They’re often in fear for their safety or desperately seeking a better life. Sofia’s case is a clear reminder that we must consider each person’s situation individually, unless we, as a nation, are comfortable condemning our fellow human beings to death and torture by leaving decisions to uncaring bureaucratic processes.”
*“Sofia” is a pseudonym to protect the child’s privacy.
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About Public Counsel
Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
