Dying girl faces imminent expulsion from the United States, opposed by medical professionals who warning her demise is imminent
Downtown Los Angeles, a little girl named Sofia, four years old, sits at an oversized desk in a lawyer's office, surrounded by a sea of television cameras. Unaware of the attention she garners, she places rainbow stickers in a book and plays a game of snap.
Sofia is battling a life-threatening illness, short bowel syndrome, and her treatment is only available in the United States. Born in Mexico, Sofia and her mother, Deysi, entered the US legally in 2023, granted humanitarian parole under the Biden administration to access the critical medical care Sofia needed. However, in 2025, three months into Trump's presidency, they received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security revoking their right to stay.
"It is time to leave the United States," the letter stated.
"We're sending them to die," Gina Amato Lough, a lawyer for Public Counsel, speaks on behalf of Sofia, "That's not justice, and it doesn't make us safer. We cannot let our country turn its back on this child."
Despite the life-or-death situation, the family's renewed applications for humanitarian parole have gone unanswered. Sofia's bags contain nutrients she can't absorb naturally, and without these, her doctors warn she could die within days.
The Department of Homeland Security has clarified in a statement that the family is not actively being deported, and their application for humanitarian parole submitted on May 14, 2025, is still under consideration.
Sofia's lawyers stress the gravity of the situation, stating, "Deporting this family under these conditions is not only unlawful, it constitutes a moral failure that violates the basic tenets of humanity and decency."
Trump's border czar Tom Homan, when approached, denied specific knowledge of Sofia's case, but promised to inquire further.
This unfolding situation sheds light on the human casualties of increasingly hardline immigration policies. For now, Sofia represents a beacon in the fight for compassionate andhumane legislation.
- Sofia's critical medical treatment for her life-threatening condition, short bowel syndrome, is only available in the United States, and her family's applications for humanitarian parole have gone unanswered, potentially putting her life at risk.
- The family's situation highlights the moral and humanitarian implications of strict immigration policies, as they face the possibility of deportation, which could directly lead to Sofia's demise.
- The ongoing battle for Sofia's right to stay in the United States serves as a symbol for the fight for compassionate and humane policy and legislation in healthcare, immigration, and general news contexts.
