Four-year-old Sofia, whose real name is not disclosed, is battling a life-threatening condition called short bowel syndrome and receives critical, cutting-edge treatment at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. This treatment, only available in the US, involves a special backpack she wears for 18 hours a day to deliver nutrients she cannot absorb naturally.

Sofia and her mother, Deysi, legally entered the United States in July 2023. They were granted humanitarian parole for two years specifically to allow Sofia to access this indispensable medical care.

However, in April 2025, reportedly three months into the Trump presidency, the family received a distressing letter. Their humanitarian parole was revoked, and they were ordered to return to Mexico immediately. Medical professionals warned that interrupting Sofia's treatment could lead to her death "within days."

"We're sending them to die," stated the family's lawyer, Gina Amato Lough, highlighting the severity of the situation. "That's not justice and it doesn't make us any safer. We cannot let our country turn its back on this child." Following a plea from their legal team to officials, Sofia's mother received an approval notice granting them humanitarian parole for an additional year.

The one-year reprieve has brought considerable relief to Deysi, who expressed having "so much anxiety" over the potential deportation and the dire risk to her daughter's life. She had received multiple notices ordering them to leave. "It's always in my mind that my daughter can die," Deysi said. "It may not sound real, but it is really what will happen if my daughter is not connected to her treatment."

In a previous statement, the Department of Homeland Security contested claims that the family was being deported, stating, "This family applied for humanitarian parole on May 14, 2025, and the application is still being considered."

This case unfolds against a backdrop of stringent immigration policies, a key aspect of Donald Trump's platform, which are popular with his supporters but have faced criticism for being overly harsh and indiscriminate.