WASHINGTON — The family of a 4-year-old Bakersfield girl with a rare medical condition has been granted humanitarian protection from deportation, allowing her to continue receiving lifesaving treatment in the United States.
The plight of the girl, whom The Times has identified by her initials, S.G.V., drew public outrage and galvanized dozens of lawmakers to advocate on her behalf. The girl and her parents, who are from Mexico, originally received temporary permission to enter the U.S. legally through Tijuana in 2023.
The Trump administration had rescinded the legal protections of S.G.V. and her parents, leaving them vulnerable to deportation. Her doctor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles said she could die within days of losing her medical care for short bowel syndrome, a condition that prevents her body from completely absorbing nutrients from food.
In a statement, lawyers representing the girl wrote that on May 28 — after significant news coverage — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services contacted them to discuss processing her application for humanitarian parole. She and her mother, Deysi Vargas, attended a biometrics appointment in Bakersfield on Friday.
“By moving quickly, the agency has ensured that a four‑year‑old girl can continue receiving the specialized medical treatment that keeps her alive,” said Rebecca Brown of the nonprofit Public Counsel. “However, many families still face harm under the sweeping policy to do away with humanitarian parole. We ask the government to ensure that no one be put in harm’s way.”
Last week, 38 congressional Democrats, including California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, condemned the termination of the family’s status and urged the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate it.
“Without action, S.G.V. will die,” the lawmakers wrote May 29 to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “We urge a prompt response from your Department and a swift decision to extend this family’s legal status in the U.S.” The lawmakers wrote that the family’s situation “clearly meets the need for humanitarian aid.”
In a letter Monday to the family and their attorney, acting field office director Carmen Paniagua of Citizenship and Immigration Services wrote that “effective June 2, 2025, you have been granted Humanitarian Parole for a period of one year.”
In April, Vargas received notice from the federal government that their humanitarian protections and permission to work legally had been terminated. The notice told them to leave voluntarily or else “the federal government will find you.”
An online fundraiser for S.G.V.’s care amassed more than $40,000 as of Tuesday.
The Trump administration has stripped humanitarian protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered the U.S. under various Biden-era programs. Many have similarly been ordered to leave or face criminal prosecution and other legal actions.
Brown, the attorney, said that when the family’s parole was terminated, there was no way to alert the immigration agency that a child’s life was in danger.
“It took an international outcry and pressure from elected officials to get a response — something that used to take a single phone call,” Brown wrote in the statement with Public Counsel directing attorney Gina Amato Lough. They urged the agency to reopen communication lines to ensure that every family facing imminent harm receives the prompt consideration that S.G.V. and her parents received.
Lawmakers including Padilla and Rep. Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood), who led her Democratic colleagues in writing the letter to Noem, said they were glad that Citizenship and Immigration Services had granted the family another year of parole.
But Rivas said the girl should never have been placed in a life-or-death situation to begin with.
“This situation is a prime example of the Trump administration being unfit, unprepared and unqualified to handle immigration policy decisions with empathy and compassion,” Rivas said.
