Deportation Separates Family Seeking Cancer Treatment for Child
Undocumented parents, Juan and Maria, were deported to Mexico with their five children, including a 10-year-old US citizen daughter undergoing brain cancer treatment. Their deportation followed a routine trip to a Houston hospital for the daughter’s ongoing care, where they were detained at a Border Patrol checkpoint despite having previously crossed it without issue. The family, who had lived in the US for over a decade and had no criminal record, now desperately seeks humanitarian parole to allow at least one parent to return with their daughter for continued treatment. The parents’ choice to remain with their children rather than separate ultimately resulted in their removal, highlighting the difficult choices faced by mixed-status families.
John Q. Hosedrinker