Sick Child Faces Deportation—Doctors Warn She Could Die

Los Angeles, California — Sofía, a four-year-old girl with dark curls and a black backpack carrying the intravenous nutrition she depends on daily, faces a life-or-death crisis. Born with short bowel syndrome, a condition that prevents her from absorbing nutrients, her survival hinges on specialized medical care in the United States. Now, her family is battling to stop her deportation—a move doctors warn could kill her within days.

A Desperate Journey for Survival

Sofía was born in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and spent her first two years in and out of hospitals. She underwent six surgeries, suffered blood infections, and nearly died multiple times. In 2023, her family secured an appointment through the CBP One app—a system later dismantled by former President Donald Trump—and crossed legally from Tijuana to San Diego under humanitarian asylum.

In California, Sofía received the treatment she needed. She left the hospital, attended school, visited parks, and experienced a semblance of normalcy. Her mother, Deysi Vargas, believed they had found stability—until April, when the family received a deportation notice.

A Medical Crisis Ignored

Sofía relies on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), a life-sustaining intravenous feeding system. Doctors at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, where she was treated for over a year, wrote in a letter that interrupting her TPN "would be lethal within days." The infrastructure to administer it, they stressed, does not exist across borders.

Despite this, the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown has targeted the Vargas family. Their legal status was abruptly revoked, and Deysi lost her work authorization. Desperate, they turned to Public Counsel, a pro bono legal group, which argues their asylum protections were canceled erroneously.

A Broader Pattern of Brutality

Since Trump’s return to office in January, his administration has escalated deportations, targeting even those with legal status. Innocent men have been unlawfully detained in El Salvador’s prisons, raids have occurred in churches and schools, and pregnant women have faced separation from their newborns. Children, including U.S. citizens, have not been spared.

Sofía’s case has drawn national attention. Thirty-eight Democratic congressmembers have urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reconsider the deportation, calling it a humanitarian imperative. Mexico’s Foreign Ministry has also intervened, stating the family complied with all legal requirements and offering consular support.

A Moral Failure

Gina Amato, director of Public Counsel, condemned the potential deportation: "Sending this family back under these conditions is not only illegal but a moral failure that violates basic principles of humanity. They came seeking protection—instead, we’re sending them to die."

The family’s fate now hangs in the balance as advocates race against time to halt what doctors describe as a death sentence.